Bleach: A Child's Journey
by Lu Bane Na
Summary: He was a child compared to these supernatural beings; just an infant compared to them. But, one thing about humans is they are the most adaptable to change. Change is something Malik knows plenty of as his normal life is blown apart by hollows at his home. With an ancient zanpakutou in hand and a wild teacher in the other, he sets out on a long journey just to survive. M V,L,SC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so this is only my second fanfiction, this being my first Bleach fic. This chapter actually takes place in the present, but the rest of the story will catch up with it from 20yrs in the past. This is an AU within the canon. That means that people might not act like they did in the anime, battles may not happen the way Tite wrote them, and there'll be battles that didn't occur in the anime.**

**This chapter was edited on 8/19/2012**

**P.s. I don't own Bleach, so you people, whoever you are that get all uptight about it, can kiss my ass.**

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><p>Prologue<p>

(After battle over the fake Karakura town in Soul Society a week after Aizen's defeat)

'I had retrieved her, thank God. Finally, I had them all safe and sound.'

A tall warrior, about 6'4, looked down at the unconscious woman he was carrying bridal style in his arms. Unlike her, he showed great signs of fatigue and injury. His body was exhausted beyond belief. It was miraculous that he could even stand, much less maintain consciousness.

Apache, like her fellow fraccion and Tono(master), were the closest people to a family that he's ever had, save for his grandpa when he was still a living boy, his first love, Fran, and his second love, Yoruichi. She was one of the few people, arrancar or not, to ever truly love him.

"Apache-chan. You, Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose, Fran, Yoruichi, and Halibel. You all were the first ones who cared about me when I showed up. Though it took some time, you all became like a family to me, like Starrk and Lilinette; and like Gin and Tosen, and Remarri and Grimmjow. The only ones. Now it is my turn. Now I will care for you all."

He knew that the breath was probably wasted. She was unconscious and most likely never heard a word he'd said, but still...he had to say it. They say hollows can't feel emotions because they're empty, because they have no hearts, but he and his close friends proved that all wrong. And he's still disproving it by the way he feels for this woman and the others.

He would, and almost did on numerous occassions, die for them. If that wasn't emotion, then nothing was.

As he walked through the decimated city, or what remained of it, the either dead, dying, or beaten bodies of dozens upon dozens of Soul Reapers layed sprawled over the battlefield. He had came just for her, but they refused to give her up, opting to try to kill him and experiment with her. That damned Mayuri.

A massive blast crater, which expanded wider the further it reached out, had 80% of the city underneath it. Along the crater's path of destruction laid half of his enemies: Yamamoto, Soi-Fon, Byakuya Kuchiki, Omaeda, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Jushiro Ukitake, Isshin Kurosaki, Shunsui Kyouraku, Rangiku Matsumoto, Sajin Komamura, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Retsu Unohana, Chad Sado, Uryuu Ishida, Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Tetsuzaemon Iba, Hisagi, Ichigo Kurosaki, and finally the massive Kenpachi Zaraki.

He stopped and kneeled by the massive captain's side and held out a glowing hand over his chest. He couldn't feel any heartbeat. The man still had a massive grin on his face though he was dead and his body was littered with hundreds of cuts, if not more. Red reiatsu gently flowed from the warrior's hand and into the captain's chest.

The body spasmed a couple of times as if being electrocuted. After the six time, the natural defribulator that Malik was performing finally succeeded in jump-starting Kenpachi's heart. The man's eyes shot open as he breathed in fresh oxygen. But just as quickly as they opened, his eyes closed as he went into a deep sleep.

The warrior was deeply saddened. Some of those people had grown on him. They were his friends; some even family, yet they chose to follow orders instead of their hearts. Those were just the ones, dead or not, whose bodies weren't disintegrated by the massive cero, **Rugido** **del Dragón **(_Dragon's Roar_), that he unleashed. He had purposefully made sure not to hit them directly, or there would have probably been nothing left. He did it to save a certain few.

As he opened up a Garganta, the portal that the espada use to travel to and from Hueco Mundo, Apache's eyes slowly opened. She squinted her eyes to focus up at her long time buddy. "Malik?"

Her spiritual pressure was so weak to him. Her eyes closed again as she went back into unconsciousness. Malik could only look down at her with the worrisome face that one would think could only be given by either a lover or a blood-relative.

"Rest, Apache-chan. We will be home soon. You will be with Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose, Fran, and Halibel soon." With that, he walked through the portal not ever looking back. Seconds later, it closed behind him and it's just the two of them. He walked quietly through the orangish-red circulation of swirls that had become a characteristic of Garganta unique to just him. "We're almost there, Apache-chan."

'Soon, I will have them all together again. I just want to live in peace, now that Aizen's out of the way, for a brand new one to begin.' Upon thinking that, he felt much lighter, as if all the stress and burdens he'd accumulated over these twenty years have been lifted off of his body. As he walked, he couldn't help but reminence over his incredible journey from the beginning.

(End Prologue)

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><p><strong>AN: I know, it's short, but I just want to see what people think about that little bit before I start on the rest. This chapter is actually in the present, but starting next chapter, we will travel back twenty years to recap everything that led up to this point. If you're scared that one of your favorite souls reapers have died, than don't be afraid. Only a nameless few from that large group listed died. The names of obvious characters that I didn't mention...well if you want to find out bad enough, tune in for the rest of the story. Thank you for reading this bit and please review if there's anything you'd like to mention, like who the hell is this OC Malik guy, taking down just about every Soul Reaper worth mentioning and blowing up an entire fake city.**


	2. The Last Normal Day

**A/N: Yelp, I'm back with chapter 2. I would like to thank the kind people who've either read and/or reviewed my story. I can imagine it wasn't that easy since the prologue was so short and didn't give you much to go on. Okay, I really tried to make this chapter longer this time. So, this chapter will start Malik's long journey off twenty years before that prologue. At this time, he's still human. I've got nothing more to say except please enjoy.**

**P.S. I've had to edit the story's summary due to me messing it up on the first try. This updated one is more accurate.**

**(This chapter has been reconstructed on 8/28/12)**

A Child's Journey Chapter 1

The Last Normal Day

(Twenty-years earlier)

It was a quiet, early night in Karakura town. The only signs of activity came from some of the night clubs or a few people walking through the streets. It was like any other night for everyone; everyone except Malik. The 17yr old high school junior lied in bed, tossing and turning, sending his sheets over the sides in his imaginary fight.

"No, wait. What are you-? PLEASE! THAT HURTS! AGHH!" He woke up abruptly, panting heavily.

'That same freakin' dream. Well, a nightmare's more like it. I've been having it more often recently. That voice and some strange knife or sword or whatever stabbing me.'

He quickly patted over his body, checking frantically for any wounds, lacerations, or burns. That dream, nightmare, whatever it was, felt so real. Even after having experienced the same amount of pain atleast two dozen times, he never got used to it. His inspection was interrupted by a figure all but knocking his bedroom door off its hinges.

"Malik, are you alright!?"

It was his grandpa, Toicha-sama. The man was holding a katana and look ready to slice and dice anything he thought was harmful. Malik had to admit, for a man his grandpa's age, the guy was still as strong as an ox; however, the sword always quirked him somewhat.

"I'm fine, grandpa-sama. It was just that dream again. I'm sorry I woke you." The old man's body relaxed when there wasn't any danger.

"Thank goodness. It sounded like you were fighting someone. The worse, maybe a hollow attacking you." Malik rolled his eyes at the mention of the ghostly creatures. Bunch of superstition he thought. Amazing how Toicha would always fear something like hollows and tried to get his grandson to believe in them.

"Right. Listen, grandpa, if I ever see a hollow, I'll let you know. Although, one will never show up if you keep being so protective," the young boy argued.

"Hmph" His grandpa walked over and sat at the foot of his bed, laying the katana across his lap. He seemed somewhat exhausted after Malik's comment. Surely he caught the hint of sarcasm. "Malik. You may not believe in them, but make no mistake; just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not real. They're as real as me sitting here talking to you."

Malik just couldn't figure his old man out, even though he'd been taken in by him after his parents died just weeks after his birth, he still tried to convince him that there was an afterlife and spiritual guardians and demons.

There's a crazy story behind his parents' death. Apparently, his parents went for a walk just to the street across one night and never returned, leaving a baby Malik clueless and crying till finally someone came to claim him after the news of his parents' deaths spread. That someone was his grandpa.

Toicha claimed that he never found out how they were killed, but since then, he has never stopped trying to push his beliefs into his grandson. All of these tales and stories about hollows and shinigami. Eventually, what was once believed as a fairy-tale or legend, evolved into a boring story that was repeated constantly.

"I'm sorry, grandpa-sama. I didn't mean any disrespect. It's just that…I've been told about them for such a long time without ever seeing one and it's almost impossible for me to believe anymore. I mean, if there was some proof or something, than I would be more willing to believe."

"Malik, why else would I preach it to you? I may be old but I'm not crazy, and I'm certainly not one of those grandfathers who tell made-up stories to their kids. I've never once lied to you." He sighed and rubbed his neck. "Now, try to get some rest. You've got school tomorrow and I don't need you sleeping during class. God knows she will come from Soul Society and kill me if you failed."

"Hahahaha, yeah, I'd imagine she would," Malik chuckled, agreeing with his gramps mainly to humour him. Just as Toicha was starting to get up, Malik let slip a question that was on his mind. "Hey, Gandpa-sama, you've never told me about that sword you always carry."

He stopped and looked from Malik to his sword. "No, I guess I never had. It's called a zanpakutou. They're a Soul Reaper's main weapon, which are used to purify the corrupted souls of hollows and also send lost spirits to the Soul Society. They say that each zanpakutou has a spirit inside of it and if you call out its name, it will bestow upon you incredible power with unique abilities."

Malik sweatdropped at the answer. Here he was just hoping for a normal answer for once, like: 'This is a ancient samurai sword passed onto to me by my grandfather, who received it from his grandfather' and so on. "Have you ever called it out?"

Toicha shook his head. "No. I don't know its name. I have never heard its call to me." Malik was a little confused now.

"Its call?"

His grandpa saw the confusion and explained. "Yes, a zanpakutou will call out to whoever its wielder is if it thinks he or she is worthy to be its master. One day I will pass this sword down to you, Malik. Who knows, maybe you'll be lmore worthy then I was."

"Right. With all due respect, I find hollows and shinigami easier to believe than that."

Malik's smirky grin was erased when his grandpa smacked the broadside of the zanpakutou on his head. "OWW! WHAT THE HECK?"

"And here I thought that it was something you might be interested in. Get some rest now." He got up and left the room, leaving Malik to nurse the huge bump on his head.

"Just wait till after school tomorrow, old man." As he slowly went back to sleep, a whispered voice silently echoed in the back of his head. As Toicha was heading to his room, sword in hand, he didn't notice the hilt of the blade emitting a small red aura.

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><p>Malik woke up the next morning covered in sweat.<p>

"Ugh." He slipped out from underneath the sheets and opened the window. The cool, morning breeze swept the heat from his body like a cold shower. Smiling, he took a deep breath of the new morning and got right to the usual routine. He kicked the dirty clothes from yesterday into the corner of his room and slowly started to spread his legs.

When he was just about a foot from doing a split, he slowly reached out to grab hold of his left foot. He held himself there with his forehead to his knee for ten counts before slowly reaching over to do the same for the other side. It was a bit tougher but when the ten seconds were up, he slowly got back to his feet.

"Man, got almost no movement in these boxers." He had taken note of his boxers which were drenched in sweat from last night. "Man, that was some hot night."

Being comfortable in the privacy of his own room, he slipped them off and did some sumo squats to stretch his groin. After going through the rest, he decides to stretch his hamstrings. He kicked his leg up almost vertical and held it against the wall. The cool breeze from outside felt really good then.

"Man, been a while since I felt the breeze between my knees." He smiled, closing his eyes for a moment to enjoy the wind when he grandfather walked in. Toicha looked at his grandson and greeted. "Good morning, Malik."

"AAGGGHHH!" Malik's entire body disappeared as he instantly ran into the bathroom. "WHAT THE HELL, GRANDPA! HAVEN'T YOU EVER HEARD OF KNOCKING?"

Toicha laughed a bit before he could answer. "We're all men here, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Malik answered from behind the door, "and that's exactly why I'm in here!"

He chuckled a good bit more. "Malik, I've seen every bit of you when you were a baby. There isn't anything to hide from me."

The teen had a huge vein pop up above his brow. "Just let me take a shower, than I'll be right out."

Toicha easily heard the handle of the shower being turned on. "Alright, I'll have breakfast waiting for you downstairs." He left the room and laughed a bit more from the scene he just saw. His grandson didn't have anything to hide from him, but that didn't mean he wasn't surprised. "He definately got my genes over his father's."

When Malik had finished showering, he got dressed, brought some order to the chaos that was his brown hair, ate breakfast, and walked his way to school. Out in front of the large building, he saw his two friends, Mila and Rio, waiting for him.

Rio waved like an idiot when he saw Malik walking up. Mila honestly just wanted to hit the guy. Why she and Malik were friends with him was anyone's guess. "Malik, what's up? Ready for the first day of our junior years?" he asked excitedly.

"That depends, are you ready to be rejected by every freshmen and sophomore girl you try to hit on?" he replied as he got to them. Rio's exuberant mood vanished as it was replaced with exaggerated tears. "Not funny."

Mila thought it was funny. She tried to hide a chuckle but failed. "Than why am I laughing?"

"Because you just want to be noticed as something more than a friend by Malik," Rio shot back. He was instantly countered with a kick that made his face sink in.

"You've either got alot of nerve, or you're the dumbest boy I've ever met," she shot back. "Besides, he has a girlfriend, y'know."

Malik just shook his head. "Hey, man, how are you ever going to pick up any girls if you can't even keep them from being angry? Here's some advice: Women are always right." Mila agreed before offering a hand to the downed boy. Rio scowled at her and stood up on his own. His nose was crooked from the kick.

"Ow! Jeez, I didn't know I kicked you that hard. Let Malik take a look at it." Malik let out a soft whistle when he looked at it up close. "Is he going to live, Doc?" his friend asked.

"Yeah. Rio, just hold still." Malik held his smaller friend's head in place and placed his thumbs along the nose.

"OW! OW! OW!"

"Quit your whining! My old man does more than this during his training sessions." Malik pressed hard against the nose from both sides.

KRRUUNNCCCHH! The sickening noise was followed by Rio's cries. "That's probably true, but I'm not built like a brick shit-house!" he exlaimed.

Malik raised an eyebrow. "Getting an early start on the nicknames this year? I'm not that big; just a little taller," he defended.

"Yeah," Mila chimed in, "besides, if this year's gonna be like any other year, us and Malik are going to have our work cut out for us with the older people." She looked over Malik again and corrected herself. "Correction: you and me. I think Malik can just about pulverize anybody in this school. I mean, crap, he's grown like five inches over the summer."

"I'm not gonna hit'em unless they're throwing a punch at me, okay? Simple as that. Although, I'd love to put my grandpa's training to good use," he promised half-heartedly.

"Tell me about it," Rio sighed. "The seniors are a bunch of assholes, sitting on their social thrones like they are kings."

They continued talking about idle things as they made their way through the school doors to begin their new school year.

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><p>History class. One of the easiest subjects for Malik. Many kids dreaded it bc it was simply about dates and the events that took place on them. Soo...booorrriiing. 'I swear I'm about to pull my hair out. I can do all this in my sleep. Mmmm...sleep_._' With that he was knocked out.

Instantly, Malik found himself in a strange place. There wasn't any physical object in sight. Everything was just a swirling torrent of red, orange, and yellow clouds. He was a bit taken back by this. Although he quickly figured out that he was not alone when a loud voice ranged throughout the area.

"**_CHILD_**?" There were two things that Malik immediately noticed. One, he didn't like being called child.

"Don't call me child. I have a name you know!" And two...the voice sounded just like "Is that you, Sean Connery?" There was a little bit of chuckling before the voice answered again.

**_"I think I can call you child if I want to, with me being older than you by 14,000 years, and no, I'm not this Sean Connery._**"

That kinda took him by surprise. "Oh, okay, 14,000 years. That aint too much. Still, don't call me child. My name's Malik."

**_"I know, boy. I've been torturing your spirit for the past weeks. From there, I've come to know almost everything about you. I must admit, I'm impressed that a human has such a strong spirit."_**

Malik snorted. "Yeah, well people tend to underestimate me more than you think." The voice sounded like it was subtly agreeing.

_**"As have I. Tell me, do you know what I am?"**_

He thought really hard for a minute but couldn't think of anything. "No, sorry, I don't." He couldn't see who or where the voice was coming from, but he seemed to sense that it was sighing. "But, may I ask why you've been torturing me?" He seemed to have sensed that the figure was nodding.

**_"I have been testing you. Of all my weilders, I've never asked someone to call upon me for none have yet to meet my personal requirements. Therefore, no one knows my name."_**

That seemed to have struck a bell in Malik's head. _'Call upon? No one knows my name?'_ He remembered his grandpa saying something about that. A sword, it had a general name but his had nothing specific. 'What was that sword called? Zanpoot? Zanpukooti? Zanpa...kuto..kutou! Zanpakutou!'

"Tell me, are you a zanpakutou? Or rather the spirit of one? And are you the one that's been trying to kill me?" That first half was stupid to ask. The two were basically one and the same going by what his grandpa told him.

He sense the figure seemed surprised, almost excited. "_**Yes, yes, and yes. What else do you know of zanpakutous?"**_

Malik shrugged. "Just the basics really. A zanpakutou is a sword that has a spirit inside it, and when its name is called upon, it will bestow the weilder with incredible power. It's used by Soul Reapers to purify spirits and fight hollows. That's really all my grandfather has told me. Am I right so far?"

"**_Yes. Very so."_ **There was some silence before the spirit spoke again. "**_Expect me to visit you again, Malik. Till next time_**."

Malik sweatdropped. "Yeah, when you're shoving a flaming spear up my spirit's ass," he said sarcastically. The voice seemed to enjoy that comment, if its chuckling was any indication.

**_"By the way, when you wake up, tell your teacher that the answer is that the second world war ended in 1945 a day after America dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Now go."_**

Malik had no idea what he was talking about until suddenly all of the swirling redness went away and he woke up to everyone staring at him. Some were snickering. He could see their teacher glaring at him, so he said the one thing that came to mind.

"The second world war ended in 1945, a day after America dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki," he almost blurted out really fast. He held his breath and waited to see what happened.

Everyone was wide-eyed, as was the teacher. She seemed to be mouthing something but just couldn't say it. Immediately, Malik started to blush slightly from embarrassment, that is, until the teacher finally found her words. "Yes, Malik. That is correct. Very good, although I have to question your learning techniques. Now class, on to page-"

And that was pretty much how the rest of the class went. He didn't go to sleep again, but he still didn't pay attention to the lesson. He was finally relieved when the bell ranged and it was time for lunch. He picked up his stuff and went to his locker out in the hall. As he was shoving his books in there, his locker suddenly closed, nearly on his hands. Immediately, he had a feeling of who it was and his body was tightening up.

'Great..Jacobi..I don't need to deal with this crap.'

Jacobi, the senior head jock who went anywhere he wanted and did whatever he felt like. This was the last guy he needed to see, especially after the baked beans prank he pulled last year in the lunch room. Malik hated him so much.

That arrogant dick and his slick hair with his polo cologne and new name-brand clothes. The only thing that was more frustrating than his pompous looks was his mindset that anything he did was okay because he did it and had money to persuade people otherwise. God, he freaking hated him.

"So Malik, you think you're pretty smart, huh? Sleeping through most of the class and answering the question like you'd never been asleep. Next time, I might get you to give me answers on my test, how about that, ya big shrimp?"

Big shrimp? What grade is this guy suppose to be in? Somewhere in elementary? That's such a contradictional grouping of words. Anyway, Malik really hated to be called shrimp. Funny how now he was actually taller than Jacobi by a good inch.

"You want answers on your next test, do you? Okay, let me give you a cheat sheet." Much to Jacobi's confusion, as well as his little herd of sheep behind him, Malik takes his pencil and starts jotting something down. When he finished what he was doing, he held up a sheet of paper. "

"What is this?" Jacobi snatches the paper and reads it aloud. "It says: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. 123456789 and 10. What the hell?"

Malik kinda felt sorry for the guy, feeling like that might've been too complicated, so he explained. "That should help you pass any test for the rest of the year. Be sure to miss some on purpose or your teacher might think you're cheating." Some of the people around them started lauging pretty hard. Jacobi though was pissed. He crumbled up the paper and tossed it aside. Unfortunately, littering was another thing that ticked Malik off.

"You think you're pretty funny, Malik? Just cuz you've got a little bit taller don't mean you bad. We gonna do this now!" The guy took off his jacket and forced it into one of his sheep's arms. "If you think you're tough shit, than prove it."

Malik's expression showed that he looked like he was on the border of excited and amused. "I can't, cuz by law, my hands are considered deadly weapons." Some people booed his statement and urged Jacobi to knock out his lights. "Plus, it's not right to hit retarded kids."

This instantly got some 'ooooohhhhhh' and plenty of laughs, as well as making the jock pissed off. Finally listening to the crowd, Jacobi responded.

Jacobi threw his hooks wildly, one right after another. Malik simply side-steped each one and ducked under a sixth hook, his body movement and speed making it seem like a breeze. However, the jock incidentally hit a girl bystander right in the jaw with that last hook. Seeing the girl fall to her butt with a scream...now that pushed Malik over the line.

Jacobi threw another punch but Malik stepped underneath his swing and threw a knee right to his stomach. The knee knocked the wind out of the boy as well as fractured a couple of ribs. He bent over wheezing, trying to catch his wind. Malik didn't give him time to recoupperate. He bent his right knee and threw a powerful kick with his left leg. His shin connected with the jock's forehead and the force sent him off his feet and into a complete backflip.

The crowd was deathly quiet, some watching in horror as Malik kneeled on the the guy's throat, crushing his windpipe. He then removed his knee and repeatedly smashed his elbows and forearms into Jacobi's face in quick succession. After about twenty licks or so, he stood up and went to the girl who had gotten hit. Her jaw was badly bruised and already swelling. She was trying hard to hold back tears but they were escaping anyway.

"Are you okay?" She weakly nodded and he helped her to her shaking feet. Jacobi was groaning as he tried to roll over. His face was bloodied and swollen up now.

"I thought you said you couldn't fight, that your hands were considered deadly weapons?"

"One, you hit an innocent girl. There's no honor in that. Two, I had never hit you with my hands." Just at that moment, as if on cue, some administrators finally pushed their way through the crowd. Surprised was an understatement when they finally came upon the fight scene. Malik simply watched as two of them scooped up what was left of Jacobi while the remaining faculty just stared at Malik.

"Well don't just stand there, this girl probably has a fractured jaw! You can thank Jacobi for that." One of the three remaining staff quickly went to her side and made their way to the nearby nurse's office. The other two, consisting of the principal as well, moved to escort him away. The crowd of students quickly made a path as Malik was escorted to the principal's office. In the back of his mind, he heard the quiet voice from his dream.

**_'Very well handled.'_**

Malik stuck his finger in his ear and twisted it reflexively. 'Thanks'

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><p>Aizen was sitting on his throne in Hueco Mundo, staring deep within the Hogyoku. He would do this ever so often, just staring at it and thinking of the future that was to come. Having come closer and closer to fully understanding from countless examinations and uses, he simply does it to pass the time. A knock on his throne room's door however, brings him out of his stare.<p>

"Enter."

A shinigami poked his head through the door. By the look of his face, one would've thought that he just experienced something truly amazing, but to everyone who knew him, that's the same sly fox grin he always wore. "Gin Ichimaru. With your presence here, I assume that you have nothing better to do."

The grin never left his face and his squinty eyes never changed. "Well, good morning to you too, Captain Aizen. I'll admit, your assumption is true to a certain extent. We will have to leave for the Soul Society soon. It's almost evening there."

Aizen wasn't surprised much. In Hueco Mundo, one could really lose track of time of the other worlds. Yawning, he got up and stretched his limbs. "I'm so close, Gin. I've almost completely awakend it. It won't be long after that that I'll be able to subdue it and become its master."

"Well, for eighty years of doing hardly anything else, I'd hope so," Gin replied. His tone was cheery, but the little bit of impatience didn't go unnoticed by Aizen.

"Well, fortunately, I can safely say that it'll take another twenty years, at the least, before I'm able to initiate my plans," Aizen concluded.

"Right, well you could've just said that instead," the third squad captain said with a down face. "Wasn't that thing suppose to wake up after you gave Urahara-san's hogyoku to it eighty years ago? I almost lost my head stealing it from him." He has always remain very conscious about about that night, fighting a certain substitue soul-reaper and having the man's zanpakutou nearly take his head off.

Aizen just waved off the comment and stuck the Hogyoku underneath a secret compartment beneath the throne. Looking at the spot, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, what's so funny? I'd enjoy a good laugh."

Aizen regained his mirth and told Gin what he was thinking. "I know Barragan sits in this seat when I'm gone, just for his pride's sake. It's hilarious to think that the most foolishly arrogant being in the universe sits right on top of something that could make him immortal and he doesn't even know it. It would be such a huge blow to his ego if he ever found its location."

Aizen wasn't kidding when he was thinking of something funny. Ichimaru found it very funny indeed. "Hehehehe-hehehe...That is funny. Such a fool would be too prideful to ever look there, so basically it's the perfect spot."

Aizen threw on his captain's haori and made his way towards the door, Ichimaru following behind. "What of the hollows you've gathered for today's raid on Karakura, Gin?"

The captain's smile beamed bright as he gave a thumbs up. "They're anxious."

This illicited a smile from Aizen. "Good. Let them loose. It would give some of those lazy soul reapers something to do, but at the same time, it'll help with my plans in the future."

"Really? What's the purpose? I can't really see a reason for it," the other asked curiously. Aizen simply adjusted his glasses and gave a creepy pedophile smile.

"To lure out an old acquaintence is all. I've noticed he's been trying to hide out of sight for several years, but I've always had an eye on him. He almost ruined my whole plan eighty years ago, the night that I hollowfied those captains and lieutenants."

"Aahhh, so just wanting to take out an old enemy to pass the time?" Gin asked with an even sinister smile. "Is it the one who I owe this nice scar too?" he pointed at the thin scar that ran across his left cheek.

"Exactly," Aizen said. "The hollows shouldn't have any problem. The man is much older now. These few, unimportant years to us have been eighty long years to him." A few losses were to be expected, but in the end, Toicha should be dead by the end of the day. He could just send an arrancar, but he couldn't risk their exposure so prematurely, so the lesser ones would have to do.

* * *

><p>The day ended with Malik getting off from the principal's office but sent home early. Something about a safety precaution. Whatever. When he finally got home, his grandfather was obviously surprised.<p>

"They starting to let you kids out this early? Why, in my day, we'd go to school from sunrise to almost sunset. It's just now lunch!"

Malik tossed his bookbag by the door and started making his way to his room. "I got sent home early."

"What for?" Toicha asked, showing concern for the unusual matter.

"It was for self-defense. A bully attacked me," Malik said.

"Well, is he alright?" Toicha could hear something hard hit the floor as had Malik face-vaulted.

"WHAT? I PROTECT MYSELF AND ALL YOU CAN DO IS WORRY ABOUT THE OTHER GUY?"

His grandfather sat down at the table and responded curtly. "Well, I can clearly see no marks on you, so that means that he didn't land a single hit. Also, I doubt I have to worry unless his guardians had put him through years of hard training each day."

The boy's face relaxed abit, knowing that his grandfather was actually complementing him the entire time. "Well, no. He's one of those stuffed shirt, rich boys who thinks the universe revolves around him."

"Ah, than it was over quickly, I assume." Malik confirmed.

"Yeah, about fifthteen seconds. I decided to fight back when he struck a girl in the mouth with a wild punch. I got angry after that."

His granfather nodded in understanding. "Protecting the weak, especially girls, has always been your most admirable trait. It will take you very far in this life, and the next."

Malik was already up the stairs when he responded traditionally, "You know I have trouble believing that, Grandpa-sama."

"Bite me," the old man replied. He was picking up on youth phrases here and there the past several months and that one sounded rather amusing. He'd admit, it felt fun to say it. As he picked up his glass of water, he saw the water ripple. It wouldn't have seemed suspicious, but he had also felt a slight tremor run throughout the house.

Back in Malik's room, the boy quickly changed into his regular training garb which was basically loose, cotton, pocketless shorts that went to his mid-thigh and a sleeveless robe with a fabric belt strapping around his torso. He did a few high knees and prepared for the day's training session. As he was stretching, some movement caught his eye from outside his window. Strangely enough, it looked like some kind of albino bear.

Curious, he walked over to the window seal and peeked out. He looked over the houses and streets around his house but didn't see anything unusual.

'Hmph, just a bird.'

Suddenly he heard a thump outside his window. Taking a few breaths, he slowly snuck another peek out. Nothing.

As he turned back to continue his stretches, the entire wall he was just near exploded. He was knocked over by a huge creature that rammed through his room's wall. He quickly got up to get a better view of his attacker. Just like he thought earlier. It was basically a huge black, hairless bear with a large white mask and big..BIG teeth. His breath caught for a second and his eyes widened like headlights.

The white mask and the large hole in his belly. They perfectly fit the description of a hollow that his grandpa described so vividly to him.

"No way," was all he could muster. "There's just no freaking way my old man was right," he muttered disbelievingly. '

Well, I did say I'd believe if I had proof.' Malik then groaned loudly. "Crap...he's never going to let me live this down." The hollow growled at him. "That is..if I even live through this." He grabbed one of his old spears that his grandpa had trained him with. It was a simple design: four foot pole with a steel spearhead at the end. He got his proper defensive stance and held the hollow back.

The beast howled fiercely and charged at him. Malik slid underneath the hollow's pounce and used its momentum to drive the spear into its body. The result was satisfactory as blood spilled out but not enough to kill it. He frantically tore the lance out and jumped on the hollow's back, driving the spear deep within its back. It howled in pain and finally died before turning into black dust.

Finally, with his ruckus over, he's able to hear the commotion going on downstairs. "Grandpa!" He rushed down the stairs as fast as he could, his adrenaline rushing unlike any time he could remember, with his spear in hand. He found the place to be a wreck. "Grandpa!"

His adrenaline was still in overdrive, and blood was what he was craving. "These sons of bitches have messed with the wrong house!"

His second shout was finally answered by his old man's grunts of effort coming from out in the yard. As he made for the door, a large hollow was knocked through the wall of their living room. It dissipated soon afterwards and through the hole it made, Malik saw his grandpa surrounded by atleast two dozen hollows, half of which were flying.

'Great, they have air superiority.' He remembered the hole in his room and suddenly got an idea. "Just hand in there, Gramps! I'm coming to help you!" He rushed back up the stairs to his room and confirmed that the hole the first hollow made was big enough to run through.

He looked through it and saw ten flying hollows taking turns swooping on his grandpa. The old man was armed only with his old zanpakutou. The next flyer came down but his old man saw it. Toicha rolled to the side and swung the sword straight through the beast. It dissipated before it ever touched the ground.

Malik smirked as he briefly admired his grandfather's skills and got ready to test his own. Backing up the opposite wall of his room, spear ready, he charged forward and jumped from his busted room. His flew out like a bat out of Hell with his spear raised above his head. He stabbed downward onto an unsuspecting hollow and the blade and his body's combined force took out the flying serpeant hollow he was aiming for.

They fell as the hollow cried in pain. The landing was rough to him, but he couldn't dwell on that. He ended the hollow's existence with but a twist of the spear. He quickly went back to back with his grandfather, the old man panting abit. He looked around and saw the remains of atleast ten other hollows.

"That's two for me, Grandpa-sama. What about you?" When he finally got his second wind, Toicha answered boastfully.

"I've got twelve so far. You're still losing." That warranted a large tick mark on Malik's head.

"Just you watch." Malik charged and did a full body swing that took out a large troll hollow's leg. It fell over but Malik had completed that first swing and immediately followed with an overhead stab, all in one fluid, graceful motion. The blade impaled the hollow's mask and it faded away.

"Malik, look out!" his grandpa shouted.

Malik turned in the direction of his grandfather who threw the zanpakutou. It soared through the air and impaled another of the flying hollows. Malik readied his spear and threw it like an Olympian, imbedding it into the chest of one of the still remaining flying hollows, but not killing it instantly.

However, Malik caught the zanpakutou as it fell from the now-gone hollow. He ducked to avoid a hollow's fist from behind and brought the blade up with just his left arm, completely severing the arm the hollow swung with. It howled in pain from the loss of its limb but was quickly silenced when Malik split open its stomach with a horizontal slash of the sword. He looked back just in time to see his grandfather make quick work of the hollow he didn't kill, by landing a killing blow with the spear.

The man wiped his brow with sleeve and got into another defensive stance. He soon smiled and couldn't help but say it. "So...you were wanting proof of hollows?"

Malik didn't feel like arguing; the adrenaline from the fight was still flowing through his body and it felt good. But their break came to an end when the rest of the hollows began stepping back. Soon enough, a section of the 10ft fence around their house was instantly crushed. Out of nowhere, a large eight-legged hollow about a good twenty feet tall stomped onto the battlefield. Its upper body was shaped like a human's, except it had for mantis-like arms that were coverd with sharp spikes. It stood imposingly over the duo and let loose a roar that shattered every window within a block's radius.

Malik quickly rejoined his grandfather's side. "So..." Toicha nodded and readied the lance.

"Ready yourself. We'll have to bring it down a notch. I'll distract it while you run through and take out some of those legs. You don't have to severe them; just bring him down to our level. Once done, rejoin me and we'll go from there. Understand?"

Malik took up a rather fancy style stance; his heels together, feet at 45degree, standing straight up with the zanpakutou pointed straight at his foe. "Understand. If I kill him, he's going to count as three." Toicha chuckled heartedly at the enthusiasm.

"Just follow the plan and watch out for any hidden surprises. GO!"

Malik ran apart from his grandfather, who waved his arm and spear like a mad-man. "Hey, over here, you fucked up centipede freak!"

Malik almost lost his focus from the choice of words his grandfather used but it worked. The hollow roared again and went towards him. Malik took the opportunity and ran for its feet. Upon making it there, he worked quickly to slash large gashes in its front four legs. The skin looked as hard as marble, but he couldn't help but notice that the zanpakuout went through it like thin air.

The beast bellowed in pain and tried to stomp its feet to crush its attacker. Malik though, was moving quickly, easily maneuvering around the beast's legs and attacking during any opening. With about ten large cuts and one missing leg later, the effort seemed to pay off.

Finally, after the legs couldn't take much more, the two front ones were actually the only ones to give, but it was enough. Malik returned towards his grandfather. "Malik, we need to hit it in the head to finish it quickly. Run towards me and jump. I'll throw you up there. You'll know what to do."

Following his instructions, Malik ran towards his father, parallel the the 100ft long hollow. He looked up and saw that the beast's head was still atleast 15ft high. How did his grandfather expect to toss him that high? When he got close, he did as instructed and jumped. Toicha started a full circle swing and Malik instantly caught the idea and thought he was insane.

Toicha brought the broadside of the lance around and Malik landed right on it. With seemingly superhuman strength, Toicha pushed through and the next thing Malik knew it that he wass flying towards the open maw of the hollow.

"Strike him now," his grandfather yelled. The zanpakutou seemed to emit a red mist in Malik's hand. Inside his head, he heard that spirit's voice again.

**_'Here..take a little bit of my power_**.' Malik suddenly gained a new strength he had never felt before. In fact, he felt better than he's ever had in his life. He raised the blade above his head and didn't swing until his was right in the beast's mouth. The blade came and easily sliced through the roof of the hollows mouth, than went along the back of its head. He went flying through the opening he made and landed in a roll on the hollow's flat back.

However, to Toicha it looked like his grandson had been swallowed, but contrary to what he saw, he still felt his boy's spiritual pressure. It had suddenly spiked to a level higher than his own had been in a while. When the hollow's head turned to black dust, he saw his Malik standing unharmed on the hollow's back.

Malik jumped down and walked over to his grandfather. "Grandpa-sama, where on earth did you get that strength from? It was inhuman!"

"That doesn't matter, Malik. Me and you have got some things to discuss later on." The rest of the hollows began fleeing, their leader having been horrendously defeated. There was no way they could pursue them, and two men running through the city with a spear and a sword would cause too much suspicion, so they simply watched them go. Toicha wrapped his arm around Marik's shoulders and the duo slowly made their way back to their damaged house.

* * *

><p>Up from above the battle scene, two shinigami saw the entire battle that just occured at Malik's house. One being a short male who looked like an eight year old, and the other being a lovely looking woman with an enormous bust. They had cut off the escaping hollows and finished them quickly. Both were impressed with the way the two humans defended themselves.<p>

"Well, those two did most of our work for us, Captain. What do we do now?"

The young man contemplated for a moment before sheathing his zanpakutou. "Nothing much. We will scout the city to make sure there are no more hollows and than we'll give a report to the Head Captain. What'd you have in mind, Rangiku?"

"Nothing, but that boy's spiritual pressure. It was above average for a human, I'd think, but the way it suddenly spiked. It went about as high as Renji's. Should we not look into it?"

"I'll be sure to add it in the report, Lt.. Till than, let's look around the town before leaving." Toshiro shunpo-ed off and began his scouting. Matsomoto was left with curiosity and questions as she began her partrol over her half of the city.

* * *

><p>When the duo finally got seated in their now ruined house, Toicha started up some tea to cool his nerves. Malik took a seat at the table and wiped the sweat off his brow. The two were pretty quiet for the length of time it took the old man to fix a cup of tea. After setting himself down, he finally broke the silence.<p>

"You fought well, Malik. I'm proud of you." This praise caused Malik to smile shyly and he tried to hide his face with his hand. "No, I mean it, grandson. You displayed proper technique and discipline in the face of the enemy you've never faced before. You didn't freeze up for a second. Any less of a man would've reacted differently."

Seeing as hiding his face was pointless now, Malik showed his proud grin. "Well, I had an excellent teacher. Thank you, Grandpa. For everything. I'm sorry I never took you seriously." Toicha waved it off.

Taking a sip from his tea, he remembered back to how his son had used the zanpakutou with exceptional skill. His technique was flawless and the speed and precision of his attacks were quick and effective. Now though, not only was there his skill in swordsmanship, but his spiritual pressure spike when he slayed that last hollow. If he could truly learn to control it, he would become greater than he himself ever was. He thought for a second and knew the one man that could teach him.

"Urahara."

Malik heard him but didn't understand. "Who's Urahara?"

Toicha set his tea down and his face went to one of seriousness. "Malik, I'm sure you felt an immense surge of power when you killed that last hollow, didn't you?" His grandson stared blankly at the table, but nodded his head.

"I don't know how to explain it. I heard a spirit's voice tell me that it was lending me a fraction of its power. Immediately, I felt...invincible. I've never felt like that before."

Toicha was expecting him to say yes, of course, but hearing a spirit's voice? He had no idea! Almost excitingly, he asked another question. "A spirit you say? Has that been the first time it's spoken to you?"

Malik rubbed his head in thought before answering. "No, it's the second time today. But it turns out it's the cause of my nightmares. It's been torturing my spirit the past weeks because it was testing me for some reason. I don't know why it's chosen me though."

His grandpa looked increduously at the zanpakutou that laid propped against the wall. 'After so many generations, it's finally awakened. And it's chosen my grandson to test. It even lent him some power. I can't let this incredible opportunity pass by.' He turned back to his grandson and asked a question he's hoping his grandson would accept.

"Malik, the man I mentioned earlier. Urahara. He's an old friend of mine. He can help you control that power that you felt earlier. That zanpakutou hasn't spoken to anyone since its last master died. Perhaps he can help you better pass its tests."

Malik didn't really know how to react to what his grandfather said. Becoming a student of this Urahara guy and possibly unlock the powers of this zanpakutou? It sounded so surreal to him. However, there came another voice.

_'**Do it.**'_

He knew who it was and the fact that this spirit wanted him to take upon this Urahara as his mentor pretty much decided the choice for him.

"I'll do it."

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><p><strong>AN: Alrighty, so that was chapter 2. It was much longer, like I promised. To just clear some things up, Malik's grandfather has been training him his entire life, so one would imagine that Malik could dish out some pain. His reflexes and speed from a lifetime's training are twice, maybe three times that of an average human's. Some people may think that it's unrealistic that Malik would cope with his first hollow fight as well as he did, but you forget, his grandfather has been drilling it into his mind for over a decade, so even though it's his first time, he knew the drill, and thus performed like he was trained to.**

**Also, in this AU, Aizen already has the Hogyoku, since it's obviously not inside of Rukia. **

**That concludes this chapter, so now I'll get started on Chapter 3. If you have any questions about the ways of this AU, feel free to pm me or voice it in a review and I promise I will respond via pm. **

**I've finished editing this chapter on 8/28/2012. I'm so embarrassed by some of these mistakes, I just don't know how I didn't get flamed to hell and back for them. **

**Thank you for being such an accepting audience for this young story.**


	3. Hitting the Ground Running

**A/N: So, I have finally gotten the second chapter up, or third if you count the prologue, and I'm glad to get this up. I'd first like to thank all the readers who've been tuning in to my story. I'd like to give a special shoutout to those who've taken the time to review. People! Reviews, whether good or bad, help the author in several ways. I'm not demanding them, but if you've got a question or opinion, please feel free to tell me. I will not bite your head off if I think it's bad. ;D**

**I don't feel bad saying this, but Ryo and Mila were just some fill-in characters. I just needed someone for Malik to hang out with. So, that was their one chapter of existance. Now, in this chapter, Malik will meet a certain laid-back, probably perverted to some degree, candy-store owner with an awesome hat and a damn fan. **

**P.s. I don't own Bleach so you lawyers can kiss my size 13.5 D foot! :P**

Chapter 3: Hitting the Ground Running

(That night)

Sotaicho Yamamoto-Genryusai Shigekuni. Head-captain of the Gotei 13 which comprised the strongest fighters in all of Soul Society. He, of all people, had one of THE most boring jobs, regardless of how important it was: Reading over reports from the lower captains. He had a stack of papers to his right and another one to his left. One, he'd already been through; the other, the ones that would keep him up for more hours. Agh, reports about simple things like Hanatori still slacking in overall skill developement, Rukia excelling in her use of kido spells, and Kenpachi accidentally injuring another sparring partner. ~Big surprise.~

The old captain lets out a stiff yawn and pops his back before starting on the stack again. ~More injuries. More promising recruits. More complaints about someone making loud noises at night. Is this really what the Soul Society's future looking like?~ Another hour goes by before he gets to the single most interesting part of this job: reports on hollow activities. He opens it up and is surprised by how short it is. It's probably just a page long. As his old eyes gaze over the report, they slowly widen.

"Twelve low class hollows and one adjuchas-class." ~Interesting~  
>"<em>'While heading towards the spiritual pressures for the hollows, me and my lieutenant noticed that several spirits were disappearing. Thinking that they were leaving, we hurried to cut off their escape. Upon arriving, we looked upon a battlefield. An old human man and another younger human male were fighting the hollows. They easily disposed of the hollows before the adjuchas-class hollow arrived. With an excellent use of teamwork, the two humans somehow managed to slay it.<em>  
><em>My lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, confirmed what I had felt. Both humans had a reasonable amount of spiritual pressure for the average human, but upon slaying the adjuchas, the young human's spiritual pressure spiked to a level even higher than a lieutenant's. Sensing no more hollows, and seeing no reason to intervene with the humans, we performed a patrol above the city before returning.<em>  
><em>-T. Hitsugaya, 10th Division Captain'<em>"

To be honest, he didn't really know what to make of this. A human defeating an adjuchas-class hollow. Impossible. Yet, his spiritual pressure went as high as a lieutenant's. Preposterous. Yet, Toushiro has said it in his report, and he is always crystal clear. So what to do, what to do. A human with strong spiritual powers. ~I suppose an investigation is in order. I'll let Soi Fon choose someone to go tomorrow.~ Though his mind made up, he knew Soi Fon thought VERY badly of humans with spiritual powers. Hopefully, she won't send someone on an assassination attempt instead of an investigation. With that little business taken care of, the sleepy man retired to his bed for a night's sleep.

* * *

><p>(next day)<p>

The rest of the morning went by very fast. Malik's hazel eyes opened just quick enough for him to see himself get tossed out of bed by his grandpa and was hurried to get dressed. After that, he found that breakfast was waiting for him. Nothing special, just seven whole eggs, a cup and a half of oatmeal seasoned with cinnamon, a glass of milk, a glass of water, and some toast. Being hurried, he gobbled it down and followed his grandpa out the door.

"So, why are we in such a hurry, Grandpa-sama? And what about school?" The thought to ask that question yesterday had escaped him. So he was quite curious as to how his grandpa would get him out of there.

"I've already notified the school board that you've come down with a series of illnesses. They were understanding and said that in your case, you won't have to worry about rushing your recovery."

Okay, something didn't seem right. For any person, that statement would have sounded like the angel's trumpet call, but Malik was still a bit skeptical. "Uh, what illnesses did you say I had? Do they think I'm dying or something?"

"No, but I told them you had mono, pneumonia, tonsilitus, bronchitus, and the flu." Malik eyes widened at all that he supposedly had come down with. "Geez, why didn't you tell them I just had the flu?"

"Well, if you had just the flu, they would expect you to be back in a week or so. You're training will last much longer than that. Just enjoy your extended vacation, Malik."

Malik sweatdropped at that comment. ~Yeah, it'll be a vacation all right. I'm going to be training in a way I've never done before.~ He has no idea what to expect. He eyed the zanpakutou on his back, the thing that started all of this. He wasn't going to complain though. He had no reason to. So, he dropped all conversation for the rest of the walk.

It was about thirty minutes later that they had finally came upon a rather isolated candy shop. The place was dusty and the doors were closed. However, there was a large black man with a broom sweeping the front porch. Upon seeing them approaching, he smiled and waved.

"Good morning, gentlemen. I'm sorry, but the shop won't be open for another-" The large black man stopped and adjusted his glasses. He squinted and startled Malik by crying out loud and enveloping his grandfather in a bear hug. "Toicha-san! I can't believe that's you! It's been what, fifty years?"

Toicha nodded weakly under the man's strong hold as he struggled to gasp for much needed air. "Tessai...can't...breathe...agh." The large man quickly released him and chuckled a bit. "I'm sorry old friend. It's been too long. And it looks like those years haven't been the friendliest to you."

After getting his lungs re-inflated, Toicha brought a snap kick right to the man's knee. The large man's howl just didn't sound like it would come from him. It was obviously the yell of a soft hearted man, contrary to his appearance. "That'll teach ya to squeeze an old helpless man!" Immediately and seemingly out of nowhere, a third voice suddenly interrupted their little meeting.

"Please, Toicha-san, you are anything but helpless."

Everyone turned and saw a slender white man leaning on a cane. He had his big green and white striped hat lowered so Malik was unable to get a good look at his face. However, he just had the feeling that the man was smirking underneath its cover.

"I haven't seen you in fifty years, Toicha, and the first thing you do is beat up Tessai. Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" He stepped off his porch and approached the group with a sense of creepy calmness, understandably making Malik tense slightly. However, his grandfather was all smiles. "Urahara, my friend! It's so good to see you."

He spread out his arms, gesturing for a hug or an embrace, but Urahara stood stock-still. Malik was really tensing up now. This guy spoke casually but his tone was agitated. Suddenly with a movement almost too quick for Malik to catch it, Urahara pulled a sword from his cane and swiped it upwards. Malik didn't know how to react, but a second later, a bit of Toicha's hair fell from the front. The man seemed to smirk underneath that hat bream. "Tessai was right. The years have gotten to you."

"Or maybe you've just gotten soft. Long ago, you wouldn't have hesitated to draw a bit of blood," Toicha smirked. Urahara's mood grew much lighter than and he surprised Malik by hugging his grandfather. The two laughed and patted each other roughly on their backs like any normal friends would. "My good friend, WHERE have you been? And who's this guy you have brought with you? You hiring bodyguards now to compensate for your old age?"

Toicha snorted a bit when he chuckled heartedly. "Not at all. I've been in the neighborhood. However, this young man here is my grandson, Malik. He's only seventeen but he's not your average high-schooler."

Malik simply bowed his head respectfully towards Urahara who looked rather shocked. "Grandson? When the hell did you even have kids? Malik, was it? I'm Urahara Kisuke, the owner of this humble shop and obviously an old friend of your pops here." He reaches in his green robe and pulls out a little hand fan and starts waving himself. "You come from good stock, my boy. I hope you know that."

Malik nodded. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Urahara-sama. I'm well aware that my grandfather is a good man. He tells me you are one as well."

The shop owner laughed a little and stopped fanning himself. "Is that so? Toicha, with all of this '-sama' stuff, I'm suddenly getting the feeling that you didn't just drop by to say hello or buy some gum. So, how may I service you today?"

The old man politely bowed his head before speaking. "Can we talk inside?" Urahara finally lifted his hat brim just enough to let his eyes show. "No problem. Weather a bit rough on your bones?"

"Not that. But, this is a certain matter; a favor I must ask of you."

The man smiled and walked towards the shop. "Of course, come right in. Shop doesn't open for two more hours so there's time to talk."

Once they had gotten settled inside, Urahara led them into a back room while Tessai went to fetch them some tea. They took their seats and Malik's grandfather wasted little time in getting to business, but before he could even get started, Urahara stopped him.

"Relax, Toicha. No need in going straight to the point." He brings out that fan again and starts blowing the imagined heat away from his face. "Let us enjoy this joyful reunion while it lasts. It'd probably be another fifty years before you come back." His eyes look him over. "Although, I won't necessarily be able to vouche for your physical well-being."

"Agh, cut it out with the old age jokes, Kisuke. They're quickly getting older then even me." Toicha still kept a friendly face even if his statement sounded more like a demand than a plea. The shop keeper played it cool of course.

"It's alright, my friend. Just trying to make up for lost time. Now, since it seems dragging this out longer than it should isn't a good idea, we'll play it your way. What kind of favor do you want to ask of me?"

"Yesterday, we were attack by several hollows," Toicha stated. Urahara stopped fanning himself and raised an eyebrow.

"Hollows? Interesting, but not unlikely. Please continue." Toicha focused his thoughts a little more. "Well, me and my grandson were able to defeat them, but something happened. The zanpakutou you see on Malik's back. The one I've carried with me for as long as you've known me."

"Ah, yes. The same zanpakutou you said has never called upon anyone to unleash its power, including yourself. It's what kept you from becoming a shinigami recruit if I'm not mistaken. You would never even consider something else." As Urahara said that, there was a slight bit of annoyance on Toicha's face. "Yes," he mumbled. "The very same one. However, Malik has been having night terrors for several weeks and just yesterday found out that the spirit within the zanpakutou has been torturing him; testing him."

Urahara's eyes widen and the smirk he had from his earlier statement went away. "Has he told you his name yet, Malik?" Malik shook his head. "No, Urahara-sama. He's said that I have yet to pass all his tests."

His grandpa quickly continued. "Well, yesterday, Malik was able to strike down a monstrous hollow, probably a menos or adjuchas-class. The spirit lent him a bit of his power, he told me. Upon discovering this, I figured now would be a better time than any to get him a teacher; one who could teach him more than I ever could."

"And I suppose this is where I come into the equation. Am I right?" Urahara asked. Both Malik and Toicha nodded. "Please allow him to train under you, old friend. This would benefit him in the long run, plus it would satisfy your curiosity about what kind of spirit resides in that zanpakutou. It's a win-win for you."

Kisuke rubbed his chin and went into what seemed like deep thought. ~He doesn't lie. I'd give him that. I'd wondered for so long about that zanpakutou. If this spirit is truly testing the boy, than I suppose this is going to be the one chance I'll ever get. I might even get her to help me.~ He took his hat off to run his fingers through his blond hair for a moment. He took longer than necessary purposefully, cuz the anxious look on the old man's face was pretty amusing.

After a few agonizing minutes for the two, they finally got their answer. With a wave of his fan and a tip of his hat, Urahara agreed to the job. "Alright, I'll see what I can do, Toicha. I hope your talk about him hasn't been exaggerated."

Toicha's face of course lit up with delight. "Thank you, Urahara. I promise Malik will be a fine student. I've tought him everything I know since raising him." Urahara quickly interrupted the man's thanks.

"I'll do it under a couple of conditions though." Malik and Toicha tensed up at that. "I am not going to have to have him ready by a certain time, will I?" Toicha shook his head. "Good," he continued. "That solves one thing. The next thing is..." He purposefully paused to build up tension. "You're going to have to buy something from my store. Business have been pretty slow lately and my bills are dued in a week."

Both Malik and his grandpa face-vaulted. Not what they were expecting. Their reaction was entertaining for Urahara as he smirked. "That will be all. We clear?"

Recovering themselves, Malik bowed his head respectfully and Urahara than got to his feet and opened the door to the rest of his shop. "Good. Now buy something and get out old man. Tessai will ring you up." As they came out, Toicha barely managed to avoid spilling the tea he just made by dodging around the visitors. "You are leaving already? I'd just made tea."

The big guy seemed disappointed, so Toicha put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, friend. I promise I won't be a stranger though. You can expect me to come here and now to check on Malik's progress. We can have tea than."

Tessai nodded and held out the tray for Urahara. The man graciously took a cup and watched Toicha leave. The old man slap down 500 yen notes and left. Urahara raised a brow at the amount. "He didn't even get anything." ~Man really must be trying to sucker up to me~ He glanced back over at Malik who was still silent, leaning his back on the door of the room. ~Guess it's time to see what this kid is made of~

He threw a subtle look to Tessai, who nodded in understanding. He set the tray down and went off somewhere. "Malik, you can leave your stuff in that room, cuz that's where you're going to be sleeping now. It's good that you wore something you won't mind getting dirty cuz you're gonna hit the ground running. Follow me."

Malik dropped his bag and followed the man until they came upon Tessai, who was waiting by an open latch in the floor. "Go on and climb down, boy. It's a pretty descent climb."

Malik looked down the hole and his eyes widened a bit. Descent climb was an understatement! The stairs had to be atleast fifthteen stories! Whatever was on the other side, he could clearly see light so he didn't hesitate anymore to begin his climb. Going down the ladder, he did his best not to look down. He wasn't afraid of heights or nothing, but fifthteen stories was still fifthteen stories, regardless. That could do alot of damage if someone fell.

Eventually, he and the others finally made it to the ground. Boy, he was glad to be back on solid ground. As Tessai, the last one, came down, Urahara brought out his blade and raised it at Malik. "Like I said, 'hitting the ground running.' Draw your blade, boy. We're gonna see just how far you've got to go."

If he was taken back, Malik didn't show it. He unsheathed 'his' zanpakutou and took up his usual stance, like he did against that last hollow. Urahara subtly smiled at the response. "Very good, it seems you don't question commands as simple as fight. This fight will also be your first lesson."

Inside of Malik's head, he could hear the spirit's voice giving its own commands. **'Listen well, Child.' **Malik did as it said and paid attention as his new teacher continued. "One's spiritual power allows him or her to become quicker and stronger. I want to see if you can control it at will and if not, figure out what makes it ticks. Now, fight!"

The man moved extremely quick towards Malik, said boy reacting in time to parry the blow. He didn't need another invitation. His grandfather spoke highly of him, so he will not tarnish his grandfather's word. Surprising Urahara, Malik lets go of his zanpakutou, inevitably earning a response from the sword's spirit, **'What are-'**.

It stopped when Malik grabbed the man's armed hand and caught the falling sword with his other hand. Stepping over at the same time, he was already in position to strike. Kisuke saw his disadvantage and reacted quickly. He kicked his foot up, planting it on the swinging arm of Malik, halting his attack. He punches the hand that gripped his wrist and jumped backwards when he was freed.

Okay, Kisuke was expecting the kid to have some skill, but his technique, his moves that he himself hadn't seen in a long while, impressed him. ~The kid's got skill. I'll give him that.~ The spirit with Malik was thinking something of the same thing.

They once again clashed together, this time Malik was on the offensive. He made several swift swipes as the hat man remained illusive. No matter how close he got, it seemed that Urahara was always just a few inches out of range. He made one large slash with his sword, but while it was reared back, he let go of it as he swung. As expected, Urahara lifted his blade to block the attack but was met with empty air as Malik had swung with an unarmed hand.

**'LOOK OUT**!'

He barely had time to comply with his zanpakutou's warning. He instinctively jumped back just as the tip of Malik's blade passed within inches of his face. ~How did he?~ He saw that Malik was now holding the sword with his left hand in a reversed hold. The disappointment in his eyes were clear as day.

Urahara adjusted his hat while complimenting the move. "You're pretty sneaky, Malik. I'll admit, you almost caught me with that one. But luckily, I don't fall for the same tricks twice." He adjusted his zanpakutou into a proper position and charged forward again.

Malik was ready for another head-on attack, but not his teacher suddenly disappearing completely. He looked left and right and up and down. But nowhere was Urahara Kisuke. However, his laid back voice soon reach his ears. "That is called 'shunpo', kid. It allows for extremely fast travel between short and long distances. Almost like I was invisible, right? Well, not really invisible; I just moved so fast that I escaped all of your senses."

Malik turned towards the direction of the voice above and behind him. Urahara was standing on air.

"Woh! How are you doing that?" That was the first true bit of emotion that he's gotten from the boy all day, so Kisuke was of course amused with the 'woh' part. It only made his head swell that much bigger. ~It seems the kid has got a lot to learn. No surprise there. Well, it's time to crank it up a notch.~

He shunpo-ed again and appeared behind Malik and lashed out at him. Still, somehow, Malik saw it and jumped aside just in time. ~Hmph, boy's got some good instinct~ Urahara thought. He shunpo-ed face to face with him and landed a solid punch to his face. The blow sent Malik back a good thirty feet, only coming to a stop when his feet left trenches in the dirt.

The blow must've hurt, cuz Malik had a tick mark showing. "That's a pretty solid chin you got there, Malik." Urahara silently had to ignore the slight throbbing in his fingers. "So, you're pretty amazed by shunpo?" Malik shook his head.

"No, just how you were standing on air. When can I start learning that?" Urahara shunpo-ed behind him and kicked Malik's legs out from underneath him. As he was lying on the ground, he could see that calm smile underneath his mentor's hat.

"Well, first of all, you haven't used your spiritual powers any. Everything you've done has been from your life time of training. When you learn to use your spiritual powers some, than I might show you a thing or two." He placed a foot on his student's stomach and held raised his blade. '**Do something, Malik. Have I awoken after 3,000 years and wasted the first two weeks bothering with you?**'

Malik's grin was a mystery to Urahara. 'Have better faith in me.' Moving quickly, he grabbed Urahara's foot just before the man shunpo-ed away. As he reappeared about fifty yards away, he looked back to where Malik was laying but didn't see him. That's when he felt a strong hand grasp his wrist. He turned quickly and just parried a zanpakutou coming down on him.

"Surprise, Urahara-sama," Malik yelled. "I've taken the advantage of your speed away from you. You'll have to break my arm to get me to let go."

Urahara couldn't help but let a huge grin creap up his face. He even started chuckling. "That's pretty clever, Malik. I'll admit, this is the first time in over forty years that I've truly been surprised. It seems you're not all bronze, but we'll just have to see how strong that grip of yours really is."

He started shunpo-ing all over the large training ground. Going everywhere from the ground to the air, Malik held on for dear life. Tessai watched from the side. It was easy to see he was quite stunned by the boy's boldness. Finally, after about two dozen different shunpos, they stopped about a hundred yards in the air. Urahara was clearly comfortable with the height. Malik could've been fairing much better. Since he didn't know how to fly, he was dangling over the field with just his grip on Urahara's wrist.

The man was impressed, but quickly getting annoyed. The fact that Malik's grip was starting to cut off circulation wasn't helping either. The kid was really holding on. ~One stubborn kid. Well I've got something for him.~ He shunpo-ed again to the ground and decided to put his superior strength to good use. He dodges a couple of left handed swipes from him than swings him completely over his head and into the ground. The move completely took Malik by surprise and he was soon eating dirt as a mid-morning snack. Somehow though, through all of the dirt and pain throughout his body, he kept his grip. The next thing he knew was him flying through the air again and his back causing a small crater in the ground.

His grip weakened a little bit and Urahara saw it as a sign of Malik reaching his breaking point. He swings the boy over and into the ground again. And again. And again. And again. Oh wait, another one too. And that one. Oh God, I almost forgot about that one. Oooooh, and he's definately going to feel that one for the next couple of mornings.

Urahara stood amazed and in disbelief, but he didn't let it show. Malik was bloody and bruised from head to toe. There were ten small sized craters scattered throughout their immediate area with blood splotches in some. It looked like Malik went through a fight with a berserked Kenpachi. In a spot somewhere inside Urahara, he wished the boy would just call it quits. No need to become a paraplegic on the first day of training. However, the retightening of the grip on his wrist was answer enough. Having gathered his strength again, Urahara goes through the swinging motion again, but this time Malik doesn't move.

He looks back and sees Malik's zanpakutou stuck in the ground. ~This is one tough kid~ Urahara thought to himself. His own zanpakutou even agreed. At the same time in its own little realm, the spirit inside Malik's zanpakutou was beaming. Its long tail flicked about accordingly. It was watching the whole slaughter, as one could veribly call it, and had some positive thoughts of its own.

**'This boy is something else. No ordinary person who be conscious, if at all alive. Perhaps he will make my awakening worth it. If only he could learn to use his spiritual power properly.'**

Straining to stand up on his own feet, Malik coughed up blood, but still managed to talk. "I'm tired of being slammed around." Hearing that, Urahara believes that he's finally going to let go. "But..." All four of the beings watching, Tessai included, saw his eyes glow a slight red. Than the glowing started pulsating.

~Is he finally learning to use it?~ he wondered as he watched the boy stand erect alongside him. "But...I'm pretty sure it's my turn!" An aura appeared around him, one of bright red. Urahara and Tessai's jaws slacked a little when they felt his spiritual pressure sky-rocket up higher than an adjuchas-class menos. Heck, maybe even a menos grande. Silently, Urahara was urging him on. ~Yes! Yes! That's it!~ His encouragement stopped when he remembered the grip around his wrist, cuz it tightened alot harder.

"AAGGGHHHHHH!" Malik made some mix between a yell and a roar as he swung Urahara around, and around, and around. Okay, Urahara has only ever moved very fast when he needed to. That being said, he hasn't needed to do it in a very long time. He was instantly regretting that. His body wasn't use to all of the factors that accompanied his body during prolong speedy moves, and the g-forces he was feeling from this merry-go-round from Hell was making his breakfast come up.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the man, Malik released his grip and sent the teacher flying across the field like a runaway bullet. He flew by Tessai, who he saw in the smallest fraction of time, had his jaw on the floor. Seeing the wall of the training area coming closer too quickly for his taste, he applied the Flintstone's breaks and skidded a good hundred feet before finally stopping. He looked down and sighed at what remained of his sandals. Okay, he was taken by surprise, but that's happened to him to many times this day and he seriously started questioning himself in some areas.

His attention though was brought back to Malik though, as the boy's spiritual pressure plummeted to what it was before. The boy was breathing extremely hard and staggered forward a bit. After about five steps, his body finally gave out and he fell backwards so dramatically, Urahara's zanpakutou called out, **'TIMBER!'**

The boy hit the ground, kicking up dirt and dust, zanpakutou still tightly in his grasp. Urahara actually let out a sigh, sheathed his zanpakutou and refixed his hat. Once that routine was done, he unsheathed his hand fan and made his way towards Malik. As he passed Tessai, he finally spoke. "Come on, Tessai. I think that's it for the first day. For both me and the kid." The big man nodded and the two made their way to the resting form of Malik. Up close and with no threat of danger, they took a real gander at the boy. Only one thing could make its way out of their mouths. "He looks like shit," they both said. As Tessai bent down to scoop up the boy, a dark red mist sprouted and whipped his hand.

"Ow," he flinched back in surprise. Urahara laughed at his friend's expense. "Careful there, big guy. Looks like someone is active. Looks like we'll have to wait it out. Tessai simply nodded.

Malik's zanpakutou spirit was having thoughts different than the ones Tessai and Urahara voiced. **'Child..You don't look like shit. You look like a warrior. You really impressed me today. Rest now. Recover your strength. You will need it tomorrow. Unless they are healing you, no one will be allowed to touch you while you rest.' **With no more words to say, the spirit seals back its aura from around his body.

Urahara and Tessai see that as permission to continue. Tessai hesitantly scoops him up and is instantly relieved that nothing's hurting him. The duo make their way back up the ladder and lay him down on the pallet in the backroom.

The whole time, Urahara couldn't help but wonder about that zanpakutou. Perhaps it's a kido type. If so, than what element. If not a kido, than there were hundreds of things it could be. His mind went back to that spike of reiatsu earlier. It was still weaker than what he and Tessai could create, but the amount he had so abruptly was what caught him off guard. ~It won't happen again~ he thought to himself. ~It won't happen again. Heck, he gave me a workout though. It looks like I'm going to have to get my favorite kitty friend to help me out.~ He brought out his fan and waved himself. While Tessai had finished laying down Malik, he began working on the boy's wounds. Urahara meanwhile got the shop ready for the day's business.

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><p><strong>AN: And that's chapter 2, or 3, or whatever. So tell me what'cha think? I'm eager to hear your thoughts about this so far. **


	4. New TeacherNew Master

A Child's Journey

New Teacher/New Master

**A/N: Welcome to the third chapter(not including the prologue) of my first Bleach fic. I'm very happy that this story has been looked at atleast. It's already at 489 views, 6 favorites, 1 C2, and 3 alerts. I hope as the story continues, more people will read it and more people will review or favorite it. My greatest pleasure comes from just writing what I dream about and seeing people enjoy it. It makes my admittedly cold and calloused heart a bit warmer. **

**So, in the last chapter, Malik pretty much faced off with Urahara to get a sense of what kind of skill he possesses and to see if he can learn to use his spiritual powers at will. Needless to say, the former 12th division captain handed him his ass on a silver platter. Also, a special were-cat will make her debue, so hurray for all fans of were-cats! This includes me.**

**I don't own Bleach and so on. Please enjoy.**

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><p>Urahara and Tessai were steadily going about their duties. It was past closing time for the shop and they were going thorugh the usual clean-up routine. Unbeknownst to them, two shadowed figures from the 2nd squad recon group were watching the activities of the shop from the outside. They had followed the two sources of massive reiatsu that was briefly Malik and Urahara to the isolated candy store. They watched Tessai sweep off the front porch and Urahara put up the 'Close' sign like any other day. Nothing was out of the ordinary.<p>

"Maybe the two reiatsu sources came from these two? None of them look like the boy in our description," spoke one of the them while the other man nodded and replied in a hushed whisper.

"This is the residence of former shinigami captains Tessai and Kisuke. They were banned here about eighty years ago, along with several other soul reapers. One of the energies we felt earlier dissipated completely, however we can clearly feel these two's. The boy is here somewhere."

The first guy huffed a bit in boredom. "Why is it a concern if a human was able to kill a hollow? That'd actually be better for us, wouldn't it?"

"Naturally, but if what Lt. Rangiku and Capt. Toshiro stated in their report is true, than this human is something we haven't seen before. Our mission is to simply locate and observe him. Than report to Capt. Soifon whenever we believe we've got enough information."

The first man stiffled a small yawn, taking caution to cover his mouth. "Why is it that two former captains have decided to open a candy store in the world of the living? Surely they could've done something greater with their skills."

The second man was quickly growing tired of the constant questions that he wished his comrade would just keep inside his head. "Because," he replied irritatedly, "it's most likely to keep a low profile. That was Urahara's biggest characteristic. He'd done many things in secret."

The other guy was slowly catching on. "So...you're saying that even though he has a candy store, it's probably no ordinary candy store?"

"Well...that's one way to look at it, I guess. Not exactly what I was saying." The two continued to quietly watch the shop throughout the night. A black cat walked by them but they paid it no attention. It sat there looking at them curiously, only taking its eyes off of them to clean itself.

The chatty recon guy, a rather pudgy one at that, noticed it sitting there watching them and tried to shoo it away. He waved his hands in a flicking motion, but the cat still just watched them. "Hey, Lioto, cats can't see us, can they?"

Lioto huffed in annoyance at the stupid question. "No, of course not." The chubby guy seemed unconvinced as the cat looked him right in the eyes. "Well, I think this one can. Shoo, you stupid kitty."

The cat continued to just watch them as they sat there. The big guy almost raised his voice at the cat cuz it wouldn't go away. It got to the point that his partner backhanded him. "Omaeda, shut your trap. The point of this mission is to gather intel on the boy UNdetected. We'll fail if you keep blabbering your mouth over a ugly, chubby cat."

The cat's eyes widen to the size of a pair of headlights when he said that. It hissed, getting their attention again. "I think you made it mad, Lioto." They looked back at the cat to see it was smiling(?) at them. "Uh, Lioto. Can cats smile?"

"None that I know of," he muttered. The cat raised up one of its paws and flexed a sharp set of claws. The grin on its face promised only pain and regret and the two men felt themselves gulp. The cat suddenly pounced on Lioto's face, hissing and clawing like the devil. He yelped out in surprise as the cat continued ripping thin strips of his face off. He ripped it off his face and wasn't looking at where he threw the feline.

Unfortunately for Omaeda, the cat was thrown right at his face. He fell back in surprise and struggled to stay quiet while trying desperately to unhooked the cat's very painful claws. Tears came to his eyes as a claw pierced and hooked his bottom lip. Lioto finally tore the animal off of his partner's face, but the cat didn't let go without taking a suveneir. While Lioto had pulled it off, its claws left long scratches on Omaeda's face.

"Agghh, my face. My beautiful, perfect face. That demonic cat ruined it. I can't go out in public again or even back to Soul Society. What am I going to do?" the fat man exclaimed. As he continued wheeping, Lioto tossed the cat away. Surprisingly, it jumped off of a tree and landed on its feet. It gave the two of them a murderous glare, completed with a devious smile. Than it did something that scared Omaeda. It pointed a claw right at him and only grinned, showing several sharp teeth. He caught himself gulping again. His staredown with 'death' was interrupted as he quickly left his spot, tugging at Omaeda's sleeve.

"Come on, Omaeda, they heard us. Tessai is walking this way!" he whispered frantically. That got the big guy to snap out of his staring contest with the cat and the two of them shunpo-ed away. The cat just grinned wider and turned its attention to the nearby approaching Tessai. The man stopped before coming to the bushes and called out, "Hello? Who's there? Don't make me force you out."

He saw a bush rustly and patiently waited for the figure(s) to appear. However, he was surprised when a small black cat popped its head out, followed casually by the rest of its body. Upon seeing the smile on its face, the big guy grinned and picked up the feline. "Aw, Yoruichi-san, it's so good to see you! My, you haven't aged a bit."

The cat, who apparently went by Yoruichi, started to purr a bit when Tessai scratched softly behind her ears. With her in his arms, he went back inside the shop to show Urahara their visitor. When he walked through the door, he found the man handing a bowl of lettuce that was mixed only with grilled chicken strips to Malik. The boy was understandably whooped from the beating Urahara gave him. However, Malik didn't seemed very concerned about his injuries. He was more focused on the contents of the bowl in front of him. A pretty plain meal, but one that was healthy and quickly gobbled down.

Before Tessai had walked in, Malik had just awakened to the smell of grilled chicken. He sat up, his bare top half showing all the bruises and cuts he sustained from his fight with Urahara. He had to admit, Urahara was good. All he could remember was anchoring himself to the ground with his zanpakutou to save himself from being thrown to the ground again. He was sure he wouldn't have lasted another one. Than, something happened. He felt a huge energy surge throughout his entire body, almost as if someone had just injected him with steroids right into his bloodstream. He felt better than ever: his eyesight, reflexes, and strength all seemed to have gotten a major powerboost.

He figured that out when he went over the last thing he remembered: pulling Urahara off his feet and swinging him around in circle's like a spinning top of doom and throwing him. However, after that, he lost consciousness. He didn't know how long it had been after that, but he heard that spirit's voice in his head telling him to rest.

The sound of large feet walking across the floor brought a rather surprise yell from Urahara, who was watching the chicken salad massacre. Tessai was holding a cute cat with silky, black fur and large amber eyes. Urahara, Malik thought, seemed unnaturally happy. Maybe he was a cat fanatic?

"Yoruichi! It's so good to see you, my girl! Wow, you got here quicker than I'd expected."

While amused over his smothering of the kitty, that last part popped a question in Malik's head. ~He was waiting for her to come? Why does that sound like it has a deeper meaning than what it sounds like?~ He finished the rest of his chicken salad, save for a nice strip of chicken.

"Hey, Yoruichi. Looky here, I've got some chicken." Malik waved the chicken strip a few times, instantly getting Yoruichi's attention. She eyed the piece of food like it was the plumpest field mouse on the planet. Fighting against Urahara's hold, she hops in front of Malik and eagerly accepts the chicken. Chewing it slowly, she could taste the greek seasoning that was cooked into the chicken. Mmmm, very nice choice.

When she finished the rest of it, a couple of fingers started scratching behind her ears, causing her to push against the hand harder. The fingers changed to rubbing her back than scratching the area right in front of the base of her tail. Her eyes widen for some reason unknown to the others and she soon found herself hopping in the boy's lap. His strong arms surrounded her as his fingers continued to put her into a coma of bliss. If only Malik knew what he was doing.

A smart comment from Urahara brought her somewhat back into reality. "Sheez, the girl will go for anyone nowadays, won't she? I'm her best friend and she just dumps me for a piece of cooked chicken and a body rub." She simply rubbed it into his face by purring rather loudly to Malik's actions. Malik chuckled abit at this and Urahara to slightly sweatdrop.

"It seems Yoruichi is saying 'So what?'," he said. Tessai mumbled in agreement. "I have to agree with Mr. Malik, Urahara. I think she's forgotten all about you." Urahara huffed annoyingly while he sported an unseen tick mark underneath his hat and Malik continued. "She's a pretty cat. How long have you known her?" While she enjoyed the compliment, Urahara pulled out his fan and gave a few flaps.

"Me and Tessai have known her for quite a while. We go way back." He shot the lazy eyed cat a glare. "Way back. Right, Yoruichi?"

Suddenly, the cat did something that caused Malik to question his sanity. She spoke, albeit in a male voice. "Yeah, whatever, Urahara. I'd never figure you for a jealous type of man." Malik looked around the room briefly before asking, "Who was that?"

"Right here, kid."

He looked down and the cat was staring right at him. "You know, you're really good at this. Can I hire you to give me massages and feed me chicken for the rest of my life? I'll pay you really well."

Okay, he knew for sure that the voice came from the cat, Yoruichi. He was speechless however. His first thought was to jump up and put as much distance as possible between him and the talking cat. He didn't for some reason. Probably from shock. He just stared wide-eyed at her. She brushed up against his torsoe and purred again. "Come on, say something, kid. Do something. Scream. Jump. I've gotten plenty of wide-eyed expressions before."

"I think the fact that he hasn't screamed and ran off or even fainted is a surprise," Urahara commented. "The reactions to you talking are normally along that line."

The cat 'hmph' and hopped off Malik's lap. He finally spoke though. "For some reason, I'm not as surprised as I thought I would be. I guess after killing hollows and dangling in the air by Urahara-sama's wrist has made me more open-minded."

Yoruichi smiled. ~That is what I've always been saying! People fight hollows but are shell-shocked when they see a talking cat.~ "Also," he continued, "was that offer serious? I mean, it sounded like a come-on at first, but your guy voice and the fact that you're a cat kinda shot that idea down. No offense."

Urahara got a good laugh out of that. "Oh, Malik, if only you knew. Looks aren't everything when it comes to Yoruichi. In fact, if she'll accept, she's gonna help me train you."

"What? Again, no offense, but...a cat is going to train me to harnest my spiritual powers?" That was about the whackiest thing he's heard in a while. Actually, that wasn't too long ago.

As they expected him to question it, Yoruichi inwardly smiled at the kid's politeness. She surprised him by shunpo-ing onto his shoulders. Her perch was obviously ruined when it refused to sit still. She had surprised him too much, apparently. He had jumped back but tripped over his feet. Yoruichi than appeared on his chest, looking him in the eyes. "I hope that isn't a problem, Malik. That can be an easily remedied request."

Urahara knew what that meant and was eagerly saying, "Yes, Yoruichi, it's a request. Remedy it now. Remedy it now!"

In the back of Malik's mind, several images popped into his head. One of the most reoccuring ones is that Yoruichi will somehow kick his ass and ask if there's still a problem with a cat teaching him. He's seen enough shows to know that would be all to likely. ~Okay, so I know what not to say.~ "Oh, that's not a problem, Yoruichi-sama. I didn't mean anything," he said while lowering his head the best he could in respect. It's kinda hard to do that when you're on your back.

Yoruichi was starting to like this kid, while Urahara was silently cursing him. He wasn't that bad looking, he gave her some delicious chicken, called her pretty, gave her an unbelievably amazing rub, and he'd kept himself both respectful, polite, and if she figured him right, innocent as well. She'll just have to see if this big softie is gonna be worth her time training him.

Turning towards nothing in particular, she just noticed an unfamiliar zanpakutou lying on the other side of Malik. Being naturally curious of course, she crept towards it. Her nose was about an inch from it when Tessai called out a warning. "Yoruichi-sama, I'd highly advise not to touch Malik's zanpakutou. It has a bit of a...sting to it."

She got closer still until there was barely any distance between it and her. Suddenly, she jumped back on animal instinct. Her body was telling her to not touch it. There was danger. Everyone but Tessai and Urahara were surprised when the zanpakutou started emitting a red mist around it. Malik, however, wasn't aware of the supposedly danger it produced and picked it up without any problem. The spirit's voice didn't explode in his mind like before. No, it was calm, like right before he went unconscious. He still couldn't put a gender to it. It was too inhuman.

**'Malik, no one but you or someone very special to you may hold me, unless I feel they're no threat to either of us. If she becomes another mentor, and I believe she has useful skills to show you, than she'll be allowed to hold me.'**

His nodding and mumbling made Yoruichi all the more curious. More so than she'd like to admit. Her senses were alot more keen and advanced than most others, hollows included. The power she felt within that zanpakutou was frightening for Malik just creating it. Turning a head to Urahara, she questioned, "Urahara. Tessai. I know you can feel that spirit's power. That is incredible with it just being made, I presume."

Urahara and Tessai exchanged a confused look. "Just made?" the former responded. "No. Malik didn't create that zanpakutou. Our old friend, Toicha gave it to him. It's been passed down for generations, but it has never chosen a master. It'd just let them use its physical body. It just recently awoken, I guess you could say, and has taken a liking to Malik."

This explained alot to her. Obviously, this zanpakutou wasn't Malik's. The news that it has never chosen a master, but has chosen Malik was something intriguing to her. That still left so many questions she had but wouldn't be able to get the answers too. Something hit her than. Something that just now she thought of and was curious if Urahara had thought of it.

"Urahara, if that is not the boy's original zanpakutou, than where is his?"

At the question, Urahara shrugged his shoulders. It took a glare from the cat's eyes for him to frantically come up with a better defense. "Woah, now, just wait a second. I forced him into a duel to see if I could bring out his spiritual powers. In the end, it did work, however brief it was, but his own zanpakutou never materialized."

"Obviously," she concluded. That was strange.

Malik, and his zanpakutou spirit, apparently heard their rambling and were just as curious. **'Hmm, creating your own zanpakutou? I wish I could help you on this, Malik, but I don't even remember how I was created. 14,000 years takes a huge toll on my memory, I guess.**'

'Memory problems? But you told me yourself that you were still young.'

'**I said it only because I don't feel old at all! Do not think that I would lie to you. However, now back to the topic at hand, if what this Yoruichi says is true, than it would be wise and much encouraged to take her as a mentor as well. I'd say this could make your trials easier in the coming future.'**

For some reason, Malik had gotten a bad feeling when it said 'trials'. Still, it had a very valid point and maybe even doing this, he'd exceed his grandpa's expectations.

The more the Yoruichi was still in conversation with her former pupil, who was trying to defend himself by stating that he was trying to test the spirit power within him by forcing a duel, when she was cut off by Malik's voice. "Teach me," he had said sternly. The three of the former captains looked at him. Again, Malik spoke, "Teach me, please, Yoruichi-sama. Anything to help me get better."

The cat looked him in the eye and so no doubt or worry, but determination. She liked that. Perhaps he will turn out better than her last pupil. She threw a lazy glance back at the shop owner before giving her already decided answer. "Very well, Malik. I will teach you along with Urahara here. I will fill you in on anything he misses during the sessions, than we'll begin my personal training regimen. I expect complete discipline and an all-out effort the entire time. Understood?"

Unhesitantly, Malik nodded. Although on the inside, he knew he was in for one helluva ride. "Yes, ma'am. You won't hear a complaint from my mouth."

"Good," she said, satisfied with his answer. "Now rest, Malik. You have a long day tomorrow." She turned to Urahara, who was just smiling at her in response to her mean gaze. "You better be sure to not slip up. The more time I spend fixing your mistakes, the less time I have to train him."

The man tried to look hurt at the insinuation that he'd make a mistake. "You're so mean all of a sudden."

Yoruichi turned away, mumbling to where only she heard what she said. "I was just told I was fat and ugly today. Shut it." She really hated people who thought negatively about her cat form. Really hated them. "Besides, we need to talk. You, Tessai, and I." She knew those men from earlier were from the 2nd division in Soul Society. Why they were here was something they needed to discuss. Nothing good ever came out of an involment from the stealth force.

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><p>(In Hueco Mundo)<p>

Two powerful beings were clashing against one another. One, a large arrancar and the other one, a vasto-lorde. The vasto lorde had been struggling against her opponent who somehow possessed strength greater than her own. Her sword clashed against the hammerhead arrancar's powerful fist, sending an explosion of reiatsu throughout the vasto lorde's lair. Not able to match her opponent's strength, she jumps back about thirty yards.

Now that she was still, the vasto lorde's appearance was easily discernable. She had sandy, blond hair. Her body was mostly white, save for the blue on her mid-arms and torso. She had several bone-like potrusions from her shoulders and elbows. As for her face, all but her eyes and nose was covered by a mask fragment. Her zanpakutou looked like a giant, white shark tooth.

The Hammerhead arrancar's head resembled that of a hammerhead shark's. He had thin fins over his hands. He was about a foot taller than the woman and his body was a dual color of purple with a white neck.

~What is this hollow? How can his power be so much greater than a vasto lord's?~

The arrancar charges again at her, forcing her to just lift her blade up in time to parry and counter. However, his speed was greater and he managed to backstep effortlessly out of her reach. He attacks again, pushing against her and knocking her into the wall. Turning away, he focused his attention on three adjuchas class hollows. They were watching the fight with worry for their master. The three hollows' appearances were as diverse as they came: a lion, a deer, and a large snake.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten about you three little wenches. Time to die."

He lifted his hand and started charging a cero. The three smaller hollows wanted to rush for cover but there was none to be found in the large room. Just when he fired, the vasto lord had knocked his hand up, causing the cero to stray completely off course.

"Apache, Mia Rose, Sun-Sun. Run! Get out of here, now."

Reluctantly, they followed her order. "Hai, Halibel-sama." That came from the snake hollow, Sun-Sun. With Mila having to urge Apache to follow the order, they left the battlefield.

The Hammerhead arrancar chuckled a bit as he faced Halibel. "So, it appears you're finally realizing how truly outpowered you are. You don't have to worry for them cuz of me. I couldn't care less about them. You are the one I want to kill." He picks her up and throws her with so much force that she went through the rock and outside of her lair.

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><p>As the three hollows were fleeing, the deer, Apache, just stopped in her tracks. Sun-Sun and Mila stopped with concern. "Are you alright, Apache? Come on, we have to keep moving."<p>

The deer hollow gritted her teeth in frustration. "No! It wasn't right to leave Halibel-sama alone back there. What if she needs help?"

The lion and snake faces showed that they were worried just as much. They didn't feel right about following their order, but Halibel has never let them down before. Sun-Sun attempted to persuade her, but the deer hollow wasn't having any of it.

"No. Halibel told us that if we couldn't kill something by ourselves, than we'd kill it as a group. I don't know about you, but one person doesn't make a group. It'll take all of us. She saved us so let us return the favor."

Sun-Sun and Mila Rose knew their hot-headed friend was right. Damn, she was the newest member of their group yet here she was reciting a Halibel lession to them word for word. The two looked at each other and saw the same thing that existed within them. Fear. Worry. Loyalty. They would probably be killed, but if they could save their mistress, than they would have had a life well spent.

"Alright," they said together. "Let's go kick some arrancar ass."

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><p>As she struggled to get to just a knee, he sonido-ed in front of her. " Remember what Baraggan said? <em>'You'll regret attacking one of my servants.<em>' You embarrassed me in front of his majesty, Baraggan, so I intend to make good on his word. I will redeem myself by eliminating scum like you. All so I can join the top ranks of the Espada!"

Having felt like he'd said enough, his reiatsu started rising rapidly again, causing Halibel to sweat slightly. She knew this wasn't good. He was just too powerful, this arrancar hollow. Just how did he become so powerful so quickly. Before, back in Baraggan's throne room, he had attempted to make her stay and serve Louisenbarn. She had effortlessly sliced him right through his head. Amazing that wound didn't kill him than.

When his reiatsu finally stopped rising, he held his hand out and a large, blue lance materialized out of thin air. Halibel's situation just got alot dire. She knew if she didn't move now that she would be killed. But, atleast it wouldn't be for nothing. Her friends, her students, were long gone by now. If they stuck to what she'd taught them, they would live. And that's all that mattered to her.

As the arrancar lifted his newly formed lance above his head, Halibel closed her eyes and waited for the killing blow. Centuries of survival and hardwork will finally come to an end for the vasto lorde. So much pain and sacrifice and what was to gain from it all? Looking for the answer, her thoughts went immediately to Sun-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apache. They're proof that hollows aren't mindless, killing machines by forming their bond. That was a rare feat that she was content with.

As the lance came down, Halibel's last thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a large blast and the arrancar's yell. She opened her eyes and saw the monster was on a knee with slight burn marks over his body.

"Hey, you ass! Leave our mistress alone!"

Halibel's eyes widened. She recognized that voice. It belonged to one who she'd clearly ordered to escape and survive. She looked over and saw not only the newest member of her students, but also her favorite lion and snake adjuchas hollows. Inwardly, just slightly, she was glad to see them. Only slightly, because now they'd pissed off this powerful opponent, who undoubtably could rip them apart in seconds. Said arrancar was clearly pissed as well.

"You bitches! I'm gonna rip that horn off your head and shove it up your ass!"

Apache was undetoured by his threat. "Halibel-sama is our mistress! We'd do anything for her, including sacrificing ourselves!"

Halibel couldn't help but feel a bit of pride for her students. They truly were unique in their own way. But, they'll be wiped out of existance if she didn't do something fast. The arrancar started running towards them, lance ready to kill.

"If it's a death wish you want, than whom am I to disappoint!" he yelled, all the while grinning like the shark he was. When he got about halfway, they all fired another cero at him, but just as the blast was about to hit him, he disappeared. Halibel was the only one aware of the danger they were in.

"Apache! Mila! Sun-Sun! Move!" Her voice was too late as the arrancar reappeared behind them. They didn't even know what had hit them before he'd knocked them all across the desert with one blow.

"No!" she yelled. She got back to her feet and charged the laughing hammerhead.

"Ahh hahaha...pathetic!" He lifted his lance and easily blocked a horizontal swing from Halibel, but she spun, bringing the sword around on his backside. Twisting to block the attack, his feet were together and the blow that he blocked was enough to cause him to stumble. Seeing her opportunity, she put as much reiatsu into her next swing as she could and landed a monstrous blow on his shoulder and across his chest.

The force from the impact created a large crater in the ground around the duo. As the sand cloud cleared, she was shock to see the Hammerhead arrancar standing like nothing had happened, however, there was a thin scratch where her blade had connected.

"Haha, that's pretty pathetic for a vasto lord. Although I will admit, you actually managed to penetrate my hierro." His grin tunred dead serious then. "It won't happen again."

Halibel was too stunned to react to the large hand grab her and toss her body into the air like a ragdoll. Before she was even able to react to her current predicament, the arrancar appeared in front of her and knocked her back towards the ground with a punch from his sword hand. Halibel rocketed towards the ground, resulting in another crater forming in the ground.

Somehow, she manages to get atleast her upper body up, but the arrancar sonido-es right in front of her. Towering above her, he raises his lance to once again try to end the fight. Halibel knew there was no way she could win. He was stronger. Faster. And there was no one who could help her now.

But..this moment was her time.

The audible sound of a clang alerted her to the presence of someone else. She look and was shocked to see a human...no, a shinigami standing between her and the arrancar. Somehow, he had halted the lance's attack by simply raising his hand. The mysterious man showed no sign of concern or worry, much less physical strain against the arrancar that was easily four times his size. "It's only natural, I guess, for an arrancar to have such power. However..."

With a movement quicker than she'd ever seen before, he drew his zanpakutou and sliced clean through the Hammerhead's chest. With a large wail, the beast fell backwards and dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Halibel could only stare in a bit of awe at the power this shinigami just effortlessly displayed. Such power she figured Baraggan didn't even possess. With a quick flick of his blade, he flung the blood off and sheathed it. Turning around, he surprisingly held out a hand for her. At first, she didn't want to trust him. He was a shinigami after all, and she was technically a hollow. Instead, she opted to rise to her feet on her own power.

"That understandable, Vasto Lord. You have every right to not trust me. I'm impressed though. The power of sacrifice that you were showing can make some many impossible things happen, if used when necessary. I would, however, like to apologize."

"Apologize for what, shinigami?" she calmly asked. What had he done to her to want to apologize?

The man looked back to where the arrancar had died at. "I gave him the power that he had, but not a brain to control it."

What? This shinigami gave that arrancar his power. How did he manage to do something like that?

"I would like to offer you a chance of a lifetime, Ma'am. I see you care for your subordinates very much. If you will join an army that I'm creating, I will give you the power to protect your friends. Power much greater than even that arrancar had, seeing that you're a Vasto Lorde."

Power like that? But, than she will have to fight for him. However, she'd already made up her mind.

"I will accept your offer, but not to be sent to mindlessly kill anyone. I do not kill for power. But," she glanced over at her injured friends, " but to protect them."

The man rubbed his chin once or twice, thinking about her answer. "As you wish. I'd like you to follow me to Los Noches. That is my fortress from where I will create my arrancar army. Shall I assist your friends, Miss..."

"Halibel," she replied. "My name's Tia Halibel. And any aid you can provide them will be much appreciated." The man smiled and tipped his head towards her. "Aizen Sosuke."

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><p><strong>AN: Alrighty, that's chapter 3. I'd like to seriously thank the people who've been following this story so far. I know the first chapters have been going at an awkward pace, but if you'll bare with me for another chapter, than I promise the ball will get rollin. Please R&Review. Reviews are a way for me to make better any parts that are unclear. If you have a question, please feel free to ask. I'll explain the general theory that I've accepted about some things in this story that are clearly different from the canon. Also, reviews help motivate me to write better and update faster. I felt pretty down that the last chapter has received so little attention. I mean, it's like people constantly reread the first chapter than stop. Should I just remove the prologue so I can just burn that bridge when I get there?**


	5. The Nightmare Inside

A Child's Journey

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><p><strong>AN: Well, here's chapter 4. I'm glad I got a better response than recently. It makes me happy. I'm also thankful for the recent reviews. Kevmistro212, some bits of your reviews were brutal, even though not much was written, but you said alot more deep down inside. Thank you though. Yes I do agree that I've slacked in some departments, mainly struggling in character development. I did what you said and wow, that stuff helped a bunch. I was even able to use a huge bit of that knowledge in this chapter. Once I had some better understanding of some things, my writing had a snowball effect and next thing I know, I was typing away.**

**Sword of the Hopeless, Thank you very much for your well rounded review. That's the kind of stuff that helps me the most, although that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the reviews I've gotten from everybody else. Yes, I will make sure to let the audience know more of what's going on from now on. Thank you, as I was unaware of that.**

**Anonymous, thank you for your compliment. I'll keep the story the way it is I guess. I hope you'll stay with the story.**

**Este é um grito para fora a poucos brasileiros! Eu amo o Brasil!**

**I would like to explain one thing though before we start and it's about zanpakutous. I know Bleach wiki and everything else says a zanpakutou lives and dies with its wielder, but I don't like to think of it that way. I'd like to think that a zanpakutou is still a being in itself. Also, like a zanpakutou being strong enough to be in a constant-release state, I like to believe that if a zanpakutou has enough power, it can live on without its master. Sorta like Sabaku no Kyuubi's theory in 'The Panther King of the Shinigami.' Plus, this theory just works best for my story. Credit for that theory goes to him though.**

**Also, for the big fight scene in this, I got my inspiration from the final battle music on the Matrix Revolution's soundtrack.**

**Now that that's out of the way, let us continue!**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

The Nightmare Inside

(One week later)

Malik was in the huge training area underneath Urahara's shop. Today's lesson wasn't fighting to bring out his spiritual powers, but to meditate and do it peacefully. Hopefully, with luck, he'd come into contact with his own zanpakutou's spirit and possibly learn its name.

So, there he was, sitting on the ground Indian-style with his newly acquired zanpakutou sitting across his lap, searching himself for any spirit that may reside in him. Thinking back on it, he was quite surprised how easy it was. There weren't any forms of tests of skill or knowledge. He'd search down inside and made some kind of connection with his spiritual energy. Instantly, the next thing he knew was that a five-foot masamune was in his right hand.

Urahara and Yoruichi were of course pleased with the simple feat. With a few helpful tips from Yoruichi, it took him two days of soul searching to find it. The blade was a long, slender masamune, or katana, that was polished to a mirror finish. It had a square hand guard that barely covered his hand, and the hilt's length was obvious meant to accommodate either one of two hands. Everything but the hilt was a smooth silver.

Despite the successful creation of his own zanpakutou, he still didn't know its name, much less have even seen the spirit. He was a little put out after the recent failed attempts to communicate with it, but he got encouragement from the nameless spirit within his first zanpakutou. Knowing that it and his grandpa were counting on him, he renewed his vigor and continued trying to communicate with it. He spent every bit of his free time outside of the physically challenging training of Yoruichi Shihoin.

She gave Urahara an earfull when what she first thought were wounds carried over from his and Malik's first brawl were actually taken in his real body. Urahara simply took it like a scolded child from the cat. So, to Malik's relief, they introduced him to soul candy that morning. Being able to look at your own body as a spirit was very unsettling.

However, now that he didn't have to worry about his real body being seriously injured, she was unrelenting and biting at his heels every step of the way, whether it be speed training, core training, kido training, or endurance training. Endurance, as in lengthening the amount of time he could use his spiritual power to augment his speed, strength, and reaction. Heck, she even threw kido into there. He'd gain some fair knowledge of the artform. She had Urahara teach him mainly though. After a couple of days, it was a given that he was actually a natural at it.

As starters, Urahara attempted to teach him the lowest levels first, both bakudo and hado. They were bakudos #1 sai, #4 hainawa, #8 seki, and hados #1 sho, #4 byakurai, #11 tsuzuri raiden. He hadn't a problem with memorizing the short incantations and only took one or two tries to successfully learn to channel his reiryoku through his body in the specified way.

Yoruichi seemed farely impressed with his progress. He was already becoming a handful during his bouts with Urahara. Either her former student was actually being outfought or he was just lazy. He'd pass him on to her after just about thirty minutes. She'd have fun the rest of the allotted time she'd given Malik to fight. Than she'd use her turn to teach him some more uses of kido and have Urahara teach him some hakudo.

Using her superior shunpo skills and strength, she would have his body shaking from exhaustion in about ten minutes. Yes, she was quite relentless. Urahara though, was rather lethargic in teaching hakudo, while as Malik was rather excited to learn. They sparred for about twenty minutes, but just when he thought he was getting better than the man, Urahara got inside and delivered a single punch that sent him flying across the entire training ground.

"That was called 'Ikkotsu', the single bone."

Malik was windless. That single punch had took him by surprise. The power behind it wasn't imaginable for such a simple move. They decided to call that session done for a day, prompting Yoruichi to begin another session.

By now, as he was currently looking for his zanpakutou's spirit, he could use the six spells he learned quickly, yet they seemed weaker than they should've been. Also, his speed and strength didn't seem as proficient as it should've been, considering his immense spiritual power. Urahara believed this to be because he hasn't been able to communicate with his zanpakutou's spirit. The shop keeper stated that when he did that, his kido powers should grow in proportion to his spiritual powers. Same for his hakudo. It was a theory anyways..

However, after about just thirty minutes, Malik was interrupted from his ponders when a strange, male voice came out of nowhere.

'**So, I hear you've been trying to find me**.'

The voice instantly registered as 'scary as shit' on Malik's scale. Its voice was calm. Very calm. Not like a lazy calm, or a soft, sweet calm; but a sinister, evil calm. Like there was ill intent behind each word. He hoped it was just his imagination, because from what Yoruichi told him, a zanpakutou's spirit's appearance and personality shape itself from its wielder's soul. And that didn't sound like anything like him.

'**Well, if you're not going to say anything, than I guess I'll continue to ignore you. Apparently I was initially right; that you aren't worth my time.'**

He knew he had to do something quick. Urahara warned that a zanpakutou can decide whether or not its wielder is worthy of its power. He knew he was. He'd spent the past several days just trying to find the damn spirit and now here he was.

With his eyes closed, he could faintly make out a silhouette of the spirit and saw that it was turning away. Forcefully, Malik called him out. 'Just where in the hell do you think you are going? You gonna go back and hide from me? What for?'

The figure stopped and turned back around. His eyes shone brilliantly against his rather pale skin and silver hair. They were a mixture of blue on the edges, mixed with green on the inner rims. The pupils were black and thin, like a feline's or a snake's. He took a couple of steps closer and got right in Malik's face. He was actually looking down on him from about three inches. Yet still, his body was too faded to actually know what it looked like.

'**What makes you think you're worthy?' **he asked. Malik stood strong against his imposing form and managed to stay composed by the insult. Although, anyone who was standing where he was wouldn't have blamed him or instantly apologizing.

'What makes you think I'd have to prove my worth to you?'

The spirit smiled for unknown reasons and Malik didn't like it. Suddenly, the it picked him up by his shirt well above its own head and threw him through what could only be called a black rift. Malik tried to yell, but there was no sound except the whistling sound of his body ripping through the air. What felt like minutes finally ended with him crashing into an enormous tree.

Thanking Yoruichi for showing him how to augment his strength and resilience with his spiritual powers, Malik stood up without much trouble. However, surprised wasn't a word he would've used when he discovered his position.

Malik was standing straight, but he was actually sideways. He was standing straight on the side of the massive tree. Looking up and down its size, it was easily bigger than any building he'd ever seen. The tree must've been atleast a couple thousand feet tall, while the trunk from his spot was probably two hundred feet wide.

Seeing he could walk up the sides, he ran up until he got to the nearest branch, one of several dozens that stretched outwards for hundreds of feet. The sight he saw took his breath away. From his branch, he was looking out over a forest that spread out as far as his eyes could see. The only thing that disrupted its scenic view were the ruined remains of stone towers and buildings scattered sparsely throughout the land, some poking its tops out over the canopies. It looked like an aerial view of the Mayan ruins in Central America. The scene was made perfect, by his personal tastes anyway, with an overcasted sky filled with huge, fluffy, grey clouds and a swift breeze cooling everything it swept over. His breathtaking view was ruined unfortunately, when a familiar voice spoke up from behind.

'**It is beautiful. You helped create it after all.' **

Malik whirled around to find the imposing spirit from before, only his image was made even more intimidating by the revealing of his complete body.

The figure stood in a long, black jacket, fastened together by a single belt around his waist. His silver hair wasn't actually silver. The fading that was affecting his body must've done the same with his hair. It was actually black, and it split off to both sides from what Malik could tell, but a large hood prevented him from seeing the rest. Some bangs fell in front of his right eye, obscurring it vision. His jacket had long sleeves that went to his wrists. His hands had black gloves over them, and his black pants were some kind of very-loose-around-the-legs, waist hugging style held with one belt. The look was completed with none other than black boots.

The man held out his hand and a very long zanpakutou materialized in it. The thing was freaking long! It was all black and the blade had to be atleast nine feet long and an inch wide. It very much resembled his masamune. If Malik's zanpakutou looked like it could cut steel, than this guy's blade looked like it would chew it up and spit it out. Deep down, despite all of the people who believed in him, despite what the other zanpakutou spirit told him, he felt apprehensive. Heck, he'd go as far as to say fear. Just from the sight of the blade. Despite his instinct to not say anything, he did.

'What is this place?'

The spirit opened up his other hand to the sky and soon the once cloudy, beautiful sky was a swirling mass of dark clouds with some twisters already forming. The very atmosphere gained a deep, green color. Lightning danced across the skies with some striking the forest and igniting large fires. Monsoon-like rains fell from the clouds and even some twisters, easily F-5's, could be heard and seen tearing through the forests and ruins in the distance.

'**This world was reflecting your soul. However...unfortunately for you, the brightest lights create the darkest shadows. ' **He gave another smirk, one that was quickly increasing Malik's uneasiness. This wasn't how it was suppose to be. Urahara and Yoruichi told him that the zanpakutou's spirit was derived from his soul and personality. Was there really someone like this inside of his spirit? He couldn't fathom the possibility of it being true.

However, he soon found his own zanpakutou in his hands. He didn't know how it got there, but he guessed that he was going to have to fight the man in front of him. There was no escaping that. He was in this spirit's inner world now, and the only way he would escape would be to beat the spirit standing in front of him. Somehow, even with all of these things going AWOL, he tightened his grip on his zanpakutou and readied himself. The spirit only smiled again.

'**hmph…that's more like it. And to answer your question earlier, you have to prove to me that you're worthy..because 1: If you don't attempt, than you won't get my power. 2: If you choose to fight but don't give it your all and impress me, then I'll enjoy cutting your throat open for everyone to see. From the outside, I may just be a spirit, but in here, I'm your greatest nightmare.**'

That was all that needed to be said from there. The two started running towards each other. To make it more epic, their running was all in slow-mo, but sped up when they finally got to each other. The spirit came first with an overhead slash, but Malik lifted his free arm up and stopped the swing. He swung his zanpakutou at the exposed midsection, but the man effortlessly jumped backwards to create space.

They charged again but went through with the strikes, ending up on the opposite sides from earlier. They turned to face each other. The man smirked again at Marik and gestured down. Malik looked down and just noticed a gash spanning the entire width of his waist. Sticking a finger into the wound, he winced slightly but was relieved to see it was a shallow laceration. How did he even land that strike?

They went at it again, however, when Malik slashed out, he did a flip over his spirit and landed a hit that cut from the man's lower back to his shoulders. The spirit hissed through his teeth as his back tightened reflexively to the large gash in his back.

Seeing no more point in wearing the jacket, he grips one shoulder of it and rips it clean off, revealing his long mane of straight, black hair that went to his lower shoulder blades and his rather freakishly ripped torso. Even his bangs going over his face stopped a couple of inches below his chin. It was like a Mr. Olympia/sprinter athlete compacted into a tall, slender frame. Malik couldn't help but be somewhat envious of his counterpart's better body definition. Also, there were already several scars on him, ones that he did not inflict. There were large tattoos along the man's ribs, stretching behind to his back where they drew what looked like black, feathered wings. The artistry was done to almost perfect detail, showing the wings' roots ripping through his ribs.

'**Now you've pissed me off. That was my only jacket.**'

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><p>All the two teachers could do from the real world was watch and pray. This was not suppose to be happening. He was just suppose to peacefully contact his spirit learn its name, not fight it. That's commonly done for one to achieve bankai. Not long after the vomit of blood, a huge cut across his entire waist opened up. He was fighting his spirit...and it was trying to kill him.<p>

~Malik. You can do this. We all believe in you.~ Yoruichi silently called out.

She was nervous with obvious worry. In this week alone, she had seen much potential in him. That, with his obedient attitude and selflessness, she found herself wanting him to become stronger, wanting to keep surprising her, surpassing her expectations. Yet, even if she was worried, the calloused 'Goddess of Flash' and loner/free-spirit personas of her steeled her emotions and told her not to worry so much. If Malik was capable of succeeding, than he would succeed. She knew those sides were right, for better or worse. She and Urahara could only watch as several more gashes appeared across Malik's back and torso as his body was constantly shuddering from what seemed to be punches, kicks, and cuts throughout the following hour.

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><p>The two figures stood high in the sky as the rain and hurricane force winds pelted them from the side. The wind was so strong that the rain was blowing sideways and several dozen trees below have already been uprooted and were flying through the air.<p>

Malik had felt better before. They had been at it for an hour now. He was bruised and battered and sporting atleast a dozen or more cuts, both large and small. No doubt they would all become visible scars. He was breathing heavily, but he was quickly returning to a normal heartrate. His zanpakutou's spirit was giving him a real run for his money. The spirit's zanjutsu was incredible; better than Urahara's even. The man's moves were almost undodgeable and completely unpredictable. And the way that he was able to use that long zanpakutou with just one hand was unreal. No effort was wasted as he tried to kill his wielder. With all that being said, the spirit was sporting his own set of wounds.

Besides the one large cut Malik had made on its back, and the several old scars he already had, there were a few decent wounds along his body, but the majority were shallow, inch/inch-in-a-half cuts that the spirit couldn't backstep from in time. There was one thing about him that was obvious though. He was completely unphazed by his wounds and his breathing never got above a resting heartrate. Those cold green/blue eyes pierced through Malik's own, never once straying.

No more words had been spoken since they started fighting. There was really nothing else worth saying. Malik just wanted to know his spirit's name and the spirit just wanted to go all Jack the Ripper on him. For now, Malik didn't waste his breath on needless words. But still, he just wanted to say something, anything to wipe off that calm, sinister smile that his spirit has had since they first met.

Using the flash of a lightning bolt as cover, the spirit disappeared again. Malik could just sense its reiatsu moving in front of him. Like he'd expected, the taller man appeared in front of him, intending to impale his face. Malik just parried in time and sent threw a kick towards the spirit's head, but the man easily caught it with his free hand. He spun around, bringing the owner of the foot along as well, and released, sending him flying through the air. The raindrops that hit Malik's back felt like pellets or needles stabbing his flesh. He ignored it the best he could and brought his zanpakutou across his chest to block another attempt to cut him in half.

They attacked and parried each other with all the speed and skill they possessed. Bursts of reiatsu exploded from their blades that blew the rain away, forming dry pockets of atmosphere around them. Finally, the spirit said something after they broke apart for a quick break. '**Is this the best you can do, Malik? Do you need that other zanpakutou to fight me?' **he taunted.

Malik's brows furrowed in anger. 'For starters, I never asked for it to help me, although I won't deny that I'm thankful for its help!" His reiatsu levels started rising again, earning a closed-eye smile from the spirit. 'And secondly, that spirit has done more for me than you ever have, and I'm not even its original owner!'

His reiatsu soon grew to levels that had their inner world shaking. This only seemed to please the spirit even more, strangely enough. A white mist soon covered Malik's entire body and blade. He went forward again and started swinging away, forcing the spirit to go on the defensive against the onslaught of faster, stronger attacks. Malik did a full spin then followed into an upward swing. The power behind it sent the spirit upwards a good hundred yards when he blocked it.

Following some kind of instinct, Malik swung towards the spirit, releasing all of his reiatsu into the blade. The enormous, curved blast of white energy flew from the blade towards the spirit. Too surprised, the spirit didn't move as the blast engulfed him. The last thing Malik knew he saw was that the spirit's smile never faltered. The energy started condensing into a large ball around the spirit, the surface looked as if there were constant explosions going off inside of the orb of energy.

After about ten seconds however, the ball exploded entirely. The blast wave knocked Malik backwards atleast halfway to the ground. The light from the blast coninued on even after the explosion subsided. It was atleast two or three times brighter then the rising sun. When it finally faded away, he was shocked to see the spirit standing there. Alive. Besides several burn marks and a new larger gash across its stomach and one on his face, he was perfectly fine. Even his hair was just how it was in the beginning.

Malik felt his legs about to give out. He didn't know exactly how he had used the attack, but the feeling of pain and exhaustion told him he had put all he had into that blast and it didn't so much as cause the spirit to keel over. He looked up and he saw that same calm smile smirking now and he felt hopeless. He did feel a great deal of pride though. That spirit's appearance, attitude, and power were created from his soul. To know that he had a zanpakutou spirit that was that strong was somewhat comforting.

The spirit disappeared again and Malik soon felt the long sword of his spirit coming into his chest and out of his back, right where the heart would be.

'**That was impressive..but it still wasn't good enough. I won't let you leave until you have dealt me a fatal blow,' **he stated.

* * *

><p>Yoruichi was surprised by the yelp that left her when she saw blood gush from the stab wound over his heart. Urahara was shocked as well, but he wasn't dumbfounded. "Yoruichi, go fetch the medical supplies underneath my bathroom sink. When he comes out of there, we'll have to try to stop the bleeding. In the box are some special healing devices I made back when I was head of the 12th division. "<p>

She nodded and flash stepped to his bathroom and found a first aid box just where he'd said it was. She gripped its handle in her mouth and another second later, she was back in the training room looking over the shaking form of Malik. He still hadn't come out yet. Why not? She took a double take at the stab wound and felt hopeless. It was right where the heart was. There was a very slim to no chance that the boy would survive.

* * *

><p>Malik wasn't able to stay in the air anymore on his own. However, the spirit's zanpakutou was still in his chest and the figure was actually lifting him up with just one hand.<p>

'If you're going to kill me now, you'd better do it,' Malik said. He instantly coughed up blood after saying this. 'Cuz if you don't, than you're going to regret it.'

That actually erased the spirit's smile for the briefest of moments. Malik was smiling, although it was nasty from the blood out of his mouth and the strain to actually stay conscious. Why was he smiling?

'For being my spirit, I'm surprised that there's something you forgot about me.'

What did Malik know that the spirit didn't, or had apparently forgotten? How was he even alive with a sword through his heart. Just than it hit him. His eyes widen with realization but it was too late. Malik, with his free hand, grabbed the hilt of the spirit's sword and pulled himself face to face with his opposite. With a roar, his other hand drove his zanpakutou through the being's chest all the way to the hilt. With a bloody smirk, Malik explained with the last of his energy.

'My heart is on the other side.'

Malik's body went limp after that; too exhausted and beaten up from the wounds he received. The spirit stood there, with the zanpakutou still in his chest. He than did something strange. He chuckled. Said chuckle soon turned to laughter. Said laughter soon turned to a full-blown laughter; not the evil laugh, but one of delight.

**'No fair. You set me up. Perhaps you are worthy of me. Maybe next time, when you're ready, I'll have to use my full power.' **He takes his zanpakutou from Malik's body and slowly fades away.** 'Remember this, Malik. My name...is-'**

* * *

><p>Malik woke up with the biggest pain he'd ever felt in his entire life. When he was out, the only thing he could remember was just about his entire fight with the spirit. In fact, now that he remembered it, all of his wounds started hurting again. He pulled the blanket off of him and winced at the several new scars on him. He lightly touched the stab wound that would've killed any ordinary being and smiled.<p>

"Glad you fell for it," he spoke to his self. Somewhere inside, he felt like his spirit was giving him the bird, and that only made his victory sweeter.

His room's door slid open and the familiar, sadistic, Yoruichi walked in. Her amber eyes met his and they lit up a bit.

"It's good to see you're awake, Malik," she said. He waved his hand like he would've done for anybody else. He attempted to get up, straining, but the best he managed was getting to his knees before Yoruichi scolded him.

"You should rest, Malik. We went through alot of trouble closing your wounds. I'll personally rip you a new one if you damaged our work." When she mentioned his wounds, her eyes clearly saw the extent of the damage from his fight in his inner world. Just what went wrong? "Speaking of your wounds, you'll have to tell us what the hell happened in there."

He nodded. "Yes, Yoruichi-taicho. I'll explain whenever you are ready." She accepted the response but decided now wasn't the time to hear the story. That sounded like something everyone would like to hear at dinner.

"You're too beat up right now. Regain your strength. Urahara has me playing nurse Yoruichi for you."

Malik chuckled a little at that. "Nurse?"

"Duh, you're injured; I have knowledge on first aid. Would you take me more seriously if I put on a nurse's outfit?"

Malik laughed at that image. The black cat in a white nurse uniform. That'd be funny. "I'd like to see that," he said jokingly. Yoruichi only smiled back. He was completely unaware. She had the perfect idea. Let's see just how funny he'd think that'd be.

"So," she started, sounding innocent or casual. "-would you like me to change into my human form and put one on then?"

Malik's amused look changed into a confused one. "Human form? You mean, you can change from cat to human? Like a were-cat or something?"

She ignored the unintentional term for her. She's had several people in the past call her that. Urahara. Little Byakuya. Kukaku. And other people too unimportant to bother thinking of. She'd put this kid through hell, so this could be fun for both of them.

"Yes, were-cat is a nickname I've come across. My original body is human. So, you want to see it or not?"

Urahara happen to walk by and had been listening in from behind the door. Knowing about the situation, he cracked the door just a little bit till Yoruichi came into view. ~Say yes. Say yes. Dammit, say yes, you little twerp!~ His prayers were answered when Malik nodded. ~YES!~

Unaware of their visitor, Yoruichi stepped back a little bit and began her transformation. Some kind of fog surrounded her from Malik's view, but he could see her outline steadily growing larger. More human. He was quickly eating his words when he could see the hourglass figure inside the smoke. Whatever she looked like, she sure had an endowed body. Slowly, the smoke began to clear in some areas and Malik found himself too stunned to say or do anything. He stared non-too subtly at his mentor as she stepped forth from the smoke.

His eyes met her beautiful amber eyes first that seemed to swallow him up, than zoomed out to focus on her face. She had a gorgeous, feral-like face that was the perfect combination of beauty and toughness. Her purple hair stood out from her brown, smooth skin. When she was completely out of the smoke, she stood with her arms folded underneath her large breasts, but Malik had failed to notice those yet. Those, however, were the first thing Urahara's eyes went too.

When she had stepped out from the smoke, a bright light shone through the crack of the door, burning Urahara's eyes. However, he was too determined to take his eyes off the dark mynx woman. Though his eyes were in immense pain, he was grinning like a devil and his eyes popped out of his head like a character from Toon Town. His face was reddening; whether it was a blush or sunburn from the bright light remains a mystery. His nose was having the Niagra Falls of nosebleeds, and he was becoming very hot under the collar. He gave his shirt a few tugs to ventilate his body as he took in the rest of what Yoruichi had to offer. Though he could clearly see her butt, he would've killed to have Malik's front row seat.

"Wow, that's the calmest reaction I've ever gotten from anyone. You're almost making this no fun. Urahara would've killed to see this," the Shihoin stated. Malik was still lost in the sight of her face before he took in the rest of her. She had an amazing body: toned arms, legs, and mid-drift. She had a narrow waist that connected a large, perfect rack to a wide set of beautiful hips that started making him have a reaction you know where. Only when his eyes rested on her entire form did he finally realize, like some blind moron, that she was NAKED.

He was speechless but his facial expression was finally the reaction Yoruichi was looking for. At first, she was a little put out about not getting a huge reaction out of him, but when she saw how his eyes were on her face forever, THAN finally moving over the rest of her body, she felt flattered more than anything else. Yoruichi? Flattered? That can't be right. This woman was so confident in her body that no gaze has ever made her feel flattered. But this kid's stare was flattering? How?

That was her prideful, 'Goddess of Flash' side talking, but her smaller, softer side wasn't afraid to confirm it. He hadn't seen her for a nude lady, something he would look at and get an instant boner from and start thinking dirty thoughts. 'No,' her soft side said, 'To him, he was looking at your entire beauty with awe, not lust. In fact, I think he's just now noticing you're naked.'

Yoruichi looked at his face and saw that he was trying to say something but just gave up. His eyes grew to the size of softballs and he had a small nosebleed from both his nostrils. She saw him adjust his legs so that the leg closest to her was bent, possibly to cover a certain par of his anatomy that was making itself known. Normally, she would've brought it up to the person, but after that gaze he gave her body, she'd cut him some slack. She'd just stick to teasing, not embarrassing him.

"See, normally people are surprised when I turn into my human form," she started. Malik just shook his head like a zombie.

"I wonder why?" he managed to say. Somehow, he managed to force his head to turn away. "Please forgive me, Yoruichi-taicho. I wasn't aware you'd be naked. I would've never looked."

She scoffed at that like it was nothing. "Don't worry about it. From what I could tell, you honestly didn't even know I was naked till after I said something. That's a very rare quality in men. Most women wish their whole lives to find a man who is such a gentleman as you are. You're gonna make some woman real happy one day."

Her compliment surprised him. At the least, he was expecting a scolding for looking at her naked but she instead saw something he didn't even realize. Well, that was a little bit of a lie. He was vaguely aware of it cuz his grandpa told him it was one of his most admirable qualities, and the girls at school were aware of this as well. However, there's a breaking point in every man, and the sight of Yoruichi, this tanned goddess, standing fully nude in front of him was quickly testing that breaking point.

"Now that that's over with, you just go ahead and rest. I can join you if you want." The way she said gave the impression that she wasn't asking and the wink she gave him confirmed that. That just made Malik squirm visibly. Come on, he's a seventeen year old guy and this is Yoruichi here. She seemed to thrive off of his nervousness and enjoyed the perverse pleasure she got from seeminly corrupting an innocent boy. She reminded herself to definately try this little stunt again some time.

Seductively, she walked towards his prone form like a predator, shocking Malik to where he actually yelped when she got on all fours and crawled over his legs. When his eyes caught hold of her, she could easily see his face turn from its original tan to a dark red, like he'd spent all day at the beach without sunblock.

"Please, Yoruichi-taicho, this isn't funny," he whimpered. "Why?" he squeeked out. He could definately feel a certain part of himself reacting to the sight of her but he had enough decency to hide it. He accomplished just that by curling into a fiddle position so she couldn't see what effect she was having on him. Really? This was some bullshit, yet another part of him was singing hah-leh-lullah. That part was fighting his current actions as much as possible. What if she was being serious? What if she was just horny and wanted to ride him?

Malik shook his head at the image, although he couldn't help but blush at the thought. The woman of his thoughts caught that blush and saw it as a sign that she should continue the torturous tease.

~God, have mercy on me!~ he screamed inside his head. God must've felt bad, even for him, cuz Yoruichi felt a small pang of pity for Malik. He was still so young and here she was nude, teasing him. What she was doing could actually be considered illegal in the country of Japan. Deciding he had suffered enough, she decided to change back into her cat form.

Malik peeks through his fingers and collapses in relief with a huge sweatdrop. "What did I do to deserve that?" He would have said, 'what did I do to deserve that treat', but he had to still remain respectful towards her, despite her actions. She purred and clawed on his blanket before laying out in his armpit.

"Don't worry. I only do that because the reactions I normally get are priceless," she said in her masculine voice again. "You, however, took some effort on my part. In the end, I called it quits cuz I felt bad for you."

If he was standing, he would've face vaulted and somehow, just somehow, he restrained from giving a sarcastic remark. "I'm glad you cared that much about me, taicho. That means alot." He knew that was a little sarcastic and knew with no doubt that she caught the smart talk in it. She laughed hautily before climbing up onto his chest.

"Keep up that attitude and I might just transform right where I'm sitting."

His face invented a new color as another blush exploded on his face. Before he could say anything, she laughed again and climbed off and back towards her first spot. "I'm just teasin' ya."

Leavin it at that, she laid out beside him. It would take him a while to finally find sleep, given the experience he'd just had. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw a naked Yoruichi crawling towards him like a cat would a baby bird.

* * *

><p>(In Los Noches)<p>

Los Noches, the mighty fortress deep in the heart of Hueco Mundo. Now, though, it had a truely terrifying army with a leader who was powerful and far more evil than anyone there. The inner workings of the palace was quickly being filled with the numeros of Aizen's new arrancar army. However, deeper within the fortress, a meeting was being held, which was currently be attended by the most powerful of the arrancar; Aizen's Espada.

As Aizen sat at the head of the long table in the meeting room, five Espada flanking him on both sides, Ichimaru Gin and Koname Tosen finally joined them, thus commencing the meeting.

"My dear Espada brothers and sisters, with the Espada finally being complete, it is time for our next order of business. We have many numeros now, filling the ranks of my army. I am going to let you take upon any number of them to be your fraccion. They will act as your personal servants, friends, etc."

Some murmurs could be heard at the table as the Espada took in this new information. "With them being your fraccion, they will answer only to you, an Espada of greater rank, and ultimately to me, Ichimaru, and Tosen. You may do with them as you like, however I'd advise not to kill them. If you don't feel the desire to take upon any fraccions, than that is your choice. I will not force you too. Is this understood?"

All shook their heads in acknowledgement. Aizen gave them a calm smile. "Good. Now, in case you have problems with deciding which one to pick, I will allow a tournament of sorts so you can see which ones appeal to you. Are there any objections?"

Everyone nodded, "No, Aizen-sama."

"Now, as to what rank you each shall receive. The strongest, the primera, will be numbered 1, while the weakest, the decima, will be numbered 10. To see who gets what number, you all, an hour after you've all chosen your fraccion, will battle fifthteen miles outside the walls of Los Noches. You will use your resurreccion, so we will have a good gauge of your true power. The reason being that you'll be fighting so far outside of the palace is for safety purposes. The combined reiatsu of two or more Espada in their resurrecion forms will damage the palace. That will not be permittable. Agreed?"

"Hai, Aizen-sama," was their response. They knew that wasn't a question.

With all the issues briefed over, the meeting concluded, Aizen dismissing them all and gave Tosen the order for all arrancar to meet in the training halls in ten minutes. Ichimaru and himself followed out the door behind the Espada. Tia Halibel, Coyote Stark, Baraggan Luisebarn, Ulquiorra Cifer, Neliel tu Odelschwanck, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Szayel Aporro Granz, Nnoitra Gilga, Zommari Rureaux, and Yammy Llargo all were steadily making their way towards the training grounds. It wouldn't be that long for Tosen to gather the numeros.

He decided a couple of weeks ago actually, to accelerate his creation of his full arrancar and Espada. The longer they had to get use to their bodies and abilities, the better use they will be in the future. A future he envisioned with him ruler over all. Thankfully, this was all possible when he was able to retrieve Urahara's Hogyoku many years ago, fatally wounding him. The man's current status is still unknown, but he posed no concern to his plans now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's chapter four. I know I kinda brought that first part out of nowhere. I'm sure there are people reading this who wanted to see how Malik would've coped with learning kido and everything. DON'T WORRY! I promise I will add some of his kido and hakudo training sessions in the following chapters. That's why I've also went ahead and let Yoruichi reveal her true identity, so things can start going at a faster pace. Don't worry though, cuz there's a ton of story left.**

**Please, if you feel like it, review. I wish to know how you feel about the story so I can surpass your expectations. ;) I'm also taking name suggestions for Malik's zanpakutou spirit. Also, would anybody like to offer a suggestion concerning Espada and their fraccion? I've gotten some comments and am eager to hear others as well.**

**P.S. I will probably update much faster now within this week cuz I got Thanksgiving break from school. I'll have two more weeks of school after this next week, than a month off.**


	6. Chapter 6

A Child's Journey

Chapter 5

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter for everyone! I've have been on a role lately, with no school and all. And this is my longest chapter yet.

I will assign the ranks of the Espada in the next chapter, as well as who their fraccion will be. For some fraccion, I've given new abilites; you'll see with Mila-Rose and Apache. I'm also planning on making some OC fraccion, and having been offered, I'll have the head of the Privaron Espada and some more be oc, though that will also be in the next chapter. If you don't like it, than BAH! It's called an AU for a reason, right? And this is my story. I HAVE THE POWER! .GOD!

(Lightning flashes and thunder booms in background. Lightining bolt lands too close for comfort.)

Agh! Just kidding, God. You da man! Anyways, I've also decided on a name for Malik's zanpakutou that he defeated in the last chapter, and I'm shocked that I didn't think of it sooner.

Also, I'm wondering if you can guess why or where I chose its name. Please enjoy and review!

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><p>All of the Espada had to admit, Kaname Tosen could get word out fast. It only took them five minutes to enter the massive, self-regenerating training room inside Las Noches, however by that time all of the arrancar were waiting patiently, many chattering to each other about what they were here for. They all became deathly quiet when they noticed the presence of all of the Espada, Ichimaru, and Aizen.<p>

Aizen made his way towards the center while the numeros gave him a wide berth. Soon, Tosen appeared beside Gin. The always closed eye, smiling former squad 8 captain spoke quietly while Aizen started briefing everyone of the tournament.

"So, Tosen, how'ja get ev'ryone here so fast?"

The dark skinned former 9th division captain spoke low to avoid causing a disruption. "I used Bakudo #77 tenteikura to transmit to all the arrancars Lord Aizen's message at once."

Gin inwardly had to admire his fellow commander's thinking. He figured the man would've spent much time spreading the word physically. They listened while Aizen continued with his address.

"The Espada can choose you as a fraccion now if they wanted to, but I'm arranging a tournament here and now for any numeros who want to show them what you're all capable of. I expect nothing less than your absolute best in these fights. I would highly advise against killing each other, although I won't be terribly upset if it happens."

There were some snickering throughout the crowd, most likely from arrancars looking to get some blood on their hands so soon. Aizen walked back to the spectating Espada as Kaname and Gin organized the crowd of excited numeros. He noticed Tia Halibel walking through the crowd, making a beeline for her three friends that he saved. Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun listened to whatever Halibel said to them and when she finished, they all eagerly nodded and bowed respectively. When she came back without them, Aizen popped a question to her.

"So, you chose your fraccion already?"

The Espada woman nodded her head. "Yes, Lord Aizen. Still, I told them that I wanted to see them fight. It would be good for them to start getting use to their new forms and abilities," she cooly said. "It would also better help me prepare how to make them better."

Aizen simply nodded in agreement. Already, Halibel showed great intelligence. From her resting reiatsu that he could feel, she had the strength to match and better many of the other Espada. He'd have to keep an eye out for her. "I believe your reasons to be spot-on, Miss. Halibel." He turned his attention back to the center of the training grounds. The first fight was already getting underway.

* * *

><p>(Later in the day)<p>

A fully recovered Malik stood before Urahara and a now human Yoruichi. Thankfully, to his relief, the bombshell was clothed. He'd just reawoken earlier today and they wasted time in starting his training again. He didn't mind though. Unless he was sleeping, he didn't like sitting or doing nothing for too long; as long as he was doing something to occupy his mind. Yoruichi felt like since he was that way, than he should go away and show them his shikai.

Malik looked down at his zanpakutou in nervous excitement. When he woke up, he already felt five times stronger. He just couldn't wait to see what his zanpakutou looked like when released. He spent a little while meditating to talk with his zanpakutou. His other zanpakutou, the one whose name was still unknown, had congratulated him and was now giving him words of encouragement; steadily building his nerves.

He focuses hard on the swirl of spiritual pressure inside of him, closing his eyes and drowning out all outside disturbances.

'Hey, so you ready to give this a shot?'

It took several seconds, but the spirit responded back. **'I've been waiting for you to finally talk to me. You tried so hard to finally beat me, and than when you do, you just make me wait an entire day? That's not polite.'**

Damn, even when Malik's learned his name, his spirit's voice still creeped him out. 'Yeah..let's show Yoruichi-taicho and Urahara-taicho just what we can do now.'

**'You remember my name and the incantation phrase, correct?'**

Malik scoffed at that. 'Of course. Although, you sure waited till I was near enough blacked out to tell me. I have to admit though, not what I was expecting.' He heard the spirit chuckle slightly.

**'All just to see how much you wanted me. Let's get this over with. I've got places to be.'**

**'**Where could you possibly have to go to?' he asked increduously. Seriously, it's not like the spirit can materialize on its own and take a walk through the park or something.

'**That's personal information. I don't have to tell you if I don't want to.'**

'Whatever. Stop stalling this.'

**'I'm not stalling anything. Just say the magic words.'**

Malik opened his eyes and got to his feet. He looked to Urahara and Yoruichi and they both nodded for him to begin. Moving his zanpakutou slowly, he held it horizontally above him.

"Ye who seek power, come unto me, and I shall give thee despair. Come forth from the shadows and cut down those who dare challenge us, ye angel of destruction; Gabriel Celesti!"

He stabbed the end of the blade into the ground, causing the floor to crack open around them. Urahara and Yoruichi had to jump back about fifty yards to give Malik room to release. Black reiatsu flew out of the cracks and condensed into Malik and the zanpakutou. A shockwave of reiatsu exploded from him, actually knocking Yoruichi and Urahara back another hundred yards before they finally regain their equillibrium. They could only watch from that distance as the air felt extremely heavy and humid around Malik. The reiatsu continued to spill out of and back into Malik in huge waves. Its power proved to be great, for there were numerous fissures opening in the floor, which eventually spread as large cracks in the walls and ceilings.

"If he keeps this up, he's gonna bring the shop down on us!" Yoruichi yelled out. She had her hand in front of her face trying to shield her eyes from the dust and sand kicked up by Malik's shikai. Urahara was fortunate to have a hat he could just tilt downward.

When the energy release subsided, Malik took his zanpakutou from the ground, revealing its new form. The blade had grown much more similar to his spirit's. It was an astonishing eight feet in length. The area near its hilt was serated for about a foot up the length of the blade. The handguard disappeared completely. The hilt was grey with a black diamond pattern on it and the blade was a shiny black that he could clearly see his reflection.

When they felt the sickening air return to normal, the two former captains figured it safe to approach their student. They shunpo-ed a few meters in front of him. Their first impression was that of awe. They've seen crazier shikai transformations before, Byakuya's probably taking the top spot with all of his pretty little flowers. But the sheer intimidation factor Malik had at the moment was incredible. The power of his shikai blew holes and rips in all of his clothes besides his pants, showing the world the battle scars along his strong body. Black reiatsu mist poured out of his body, dissipating into the atmosphere about three feet away. There was another new thing that he didn't even notice yet. It was something they'd never seen before either.

He had two more zanpakutou, of a normal 42inch length, that looked like sabers crisscrossing over the small of his back. The blades were straight, double-bladed, and pure white. They had thin, rectangular handguards that seemed to only serve to protect his hands and not be cumbersome. The handguards and the hilts were a bright blue. A rather simple design that humbled their true selves.

When Malik finally noticed the two extra zanpakutous, his response was rather childish. "Aw, cool."

That made the amazed Yoruichi Shihoin giggle at his choice of words. He looked at the two of them like, 'wow, this is incredible' and they couldn't agree more. They didn't say anything, but Malik's spiritual powers had jumped from the category of 'high' to 'immense'. His spiritual pressure was well above an experienced lieutenant's now, coming very close to an average captain's. The strength and potential he'd have after training under them, not including after achieving his bankai, was mind-blowing.

With Malik's zanpakutou released, there was also something different about him. Yoruichi would feel stupid if she told Urahara about this, but he looked...older. Like three of four years older. Perhaps she was just too stupored by her student's seemingly nonstop habit of exceeding her expectations. Or maybe it was the large tattoos of wings spanding from the rear of his ribs to his back. Or maybe the increase of his power which she just found sexy. His skills and powers kept growing, like his spirit was starving to become better. Truely, there had to be a limit to how much he could grow in such a short time span. She smiled as she processed all of this.

"Malik! Catch!" she yelled.

She swung her left leg towards him, launching two hidden anken knives from her leg sleeve. The projectiles wizzed towards the surprised boy. However surprised he was, his actions showed anything but. To him, when he saw the blades coming at him like a bullet, they slowed down about halfway towards him.

'Woah'

'**Come now, are you really that amazed. It's just the dramatic increase in reiatsu heightening your senses and reflexes. The same will apply to your strength and speed. Let's give these teachers a workout for once.'**

Ya know, that sounded like a pretty good idea. He really wanted to see just how much better he's gotten. With a single upward swipe with the zanpakutou in his right hand, he knocked the blades right out of the air when they got within its great range. As they clanged to the ground, he was hoping to see Yoruichi surprised, but no..if anything, the look in her eyes showed him that she was pleased, but unimpressed. 'Let's see what you've got,' they said.

They took their stances. Much to their surprise, Urahara drew Benihime from her cane/sheath. He tilted his hat up just a little bit to show his smirk. "Yoruichi, don't think I'm going to let you have all the fun."

Aforementioned woman nodded with delight. "It's good to see you've got some fight still in ya, Kisuke. I was starting to think my little Malik here had you whooped."

Malik sweatdropped and had a tick mark on his forehead from the way she addressed him. He wasn't a little child. Urahara took no offense to the comment though. "Why do the fighting when I had a perfectly healthy cat to do it for me." He threw a glance at the woman who couldn't find anything smart to say, save for 'Bum.'

Malik was readying himself for the handicapped match. The adrenaline started pumping through his bloodstream and he was feeling restless with anticipation. "Right, if ya'll are done talking, let's get this party started. At the end of this day, Yoruichi-taicho, you won't be calling me 'little' anymore."

Said woman smiled at the challenge. "And you're going to make me? Well show me what you've got...little Malik. I promise I'll go easy."

And that was Malik's que to charge the two captains.

* * *

><p>(Four hours later)<p>

Currently in Las Noches, the numeros' fights were starting to come to the end. There had been atleast a hundred different bouts. With these came a few unfortunate deaths. The victors usually fell to their knees when they realized that they had killed their opponents and begged for Aizen's forgiveness as if their lives depended on it. Unknowingly to them, their lives did. Aizen was inwardly frustrated a little bit whenever one of his arrancars were killed but soon got over it. Hours of fusing his reiatsu with the Hogyoku to activate it and successfully create a full arrancar went down the drain everytime one was killed.

The only thing that made him not kill the victor was their sincere and insessant apologies.

Overhearing several of the Espada chatting about, it appeared several have been calling dibs on who was going to be their fraccion. He heard none from Halibel or Stark. Ulquiorra apparantly had his eyes on one or two. His interest was only in having one fraccion, so there would no doubt be serious comparing and contrasting between whoever had his eye.

He was sort've surprised by how many Szayel already had dibs on. Aizen couldn't count on both hands the amount the Espada picked. Grimmjow, he believed, had shown interest in either four or five; he couldn't remember. Barraggan had about five at the moment. Nelliel had just two VERY...uhhh 'unique' or 'different' picks. He honestly couldn't fathom her reason of choice, yet she also had her eyes set on a pair of young girls who were apparently sisters, but one had short yellow hair and the other had long black hair. Yammy, so far, hadn't expressed much interest since the last one he picked, he eventually gave up in a custody argument with Barraggan, saying he was just going to use the arrancar as a punching bag anyways.

Nnoitra had one or two of, in Aizen's own opinion, the most ruthless arrancar as his future fraccion. During their battles, they showed little notice of pain and were getting sick pleasure from hurting and injuring their opponents. 'Just Nnoitra's type, I guess.' Aizen noticed Zommari also hasn't shown any interest in fraccion. Perhaps he was just keeping to himself till he got his chance to choose.

The final dozen fights that would conclude the bouts had Halibel's fraccion in it. When it got to their turn, Sun-Sun called forth Tosen. He appeared in front of her. She bowed her head and exchanged some words with him that escaped everybody's ears. After contemplating what she said, he nodded in understanding. He reappeared in front of Aizen and explained the situation.

''Lord Aizen, the arrancar known as Sun-Sun has requested a three on three battle. Her, Apache, and Mila-Rose versus anyone who accepts."

This surprised Aizen, as he wasn't expecting to hear such a request so early after the arrancars' creation where there would be numerous challenges between one another. He looked over and could swear Halibel was smiling underneath her collar. All he had to go on was the slight closing of her green eyes. What was he missing?

"Tosen, did she state a possible reason why we should let them?"

The blind, former 9th division captain nodded. "She said that her and the other two women have a special ability that could outpower any fraccion in here."

Aizen whistled at the claim. "Did she now? Well, I would like to see these fraccions at their finest, so let them have their three on three fight." As Tosen turned to leave, he stopped him again. "Wait, we all would like to get this over with, so if there's any merit to what she's saying, let those three fight the remaining numeros."

Halibel's eyes never showed him any doubt in her intended fraccion when he said this. He made open his noticed to her when Tosen explained what will be happening next. "You aren't worried about them at all, are you? I assume you know something I don't."

The woman nodded. "That is correct. I have no doubt that they will be able to handle the rest of the numeros with ease. I will warn you though." She looked at him from over the rim of her collar. "You're going to need a taller roof."

Tosen started the match up. Fifthteen numerous versus Sun-Sun, Apache, and Mila-Rose. All of the three girls' opponents charged wildly at them, clearly confident in their numbers. Behind Aizen though, Grimmjow was laughing at their misfortune, yet he admired their guts.

Mila-Rose brought her hand to her face and muttered, "_Lioness' Hunting Party_." Her reiatsu fluctuated briefly before solidifying and separating into ten individual reiatsus. They each formed a perfect copy of Mila-Rose. Together, they all released their zanpakutou.

"_Devour, Leona!"_

Her reiatsu increased atleast by five times. She and her copies all appeared as beautiful, yet intimidating Amazon women warriors. They wore less clothes than originally, their mane of hair grew, and they all began charging a cero. Two more voices shouted through the battle cries of the numerically superior numeros.

"_Thrust, Cierva_!"

"_Strangle to death, Anaconda_."

Apache and Sun-Sun began their transformations. While they were vulnerable transforming, their opponents saw them as easy pickings. As they charged forth, Mila-Rose and her dopplegangers fired off their charged ceros. The sudden crisscrossing beams of ceros scattered their targets. Some were even hit and knocked into the far walls. While they were occupied, the distraction proved successful as Apache and Sun-Sun emerged in their resurreccion forms as a deer with a large rack(Am I talking about her antlers or her boobs?) and a half snake woman with a smoth tail(butt or actual tail?)

Aizen and Halibel silently praised their teamwork. Mila-Rose would use her doppleganger ability to provide a good enough diversion for her team members to release with little trouble. Effective and well executed, he admitted.

Grimmjow had stopped laughing and was watching, with interest, the now even fight. Gin nudged Aizen's side jokingly. "I wonder whose illusions are better? Yours or hers?" His joking was stopped when Tosen popped him upside the back of his head.

"What a stupid question," the dark man said. Gin frowned at the assault but decided he'd have fun with Tosen later.

Apache ran towards an adversary who was charging a cero and intending to blindside her friend Sun-Sun. "Ramming thrust!" Her reiatsu condensed into her legs, giving her speed a dramatic increase. Her legs became blurs as she continued gathering speed. Her lonely horn started glowing red like fire as well. She lunged forward at the flying arrancar known as Avirama. The battle crazy avion didn't see the threat till she was halfway to him.

She rammed the bird in the stomach, penetrating his torsoe with her horn. He didn't have time to register the initial pain as a powerful force, something he couldn't see, rammed into him a couple of seconds later. The invisible force hit his entire body, sending him all the way across the room and making a new crater in the wall.

Over at Sun-Sun, she was deflecting blows with her sai zanpakutou while she finished constricting another arrancar with her snake body. Once she felt several bones snap, she released his limp form. A pair of arrancar came at her from behind, trying to sneak up on her, but they were knocked away by a powerful swing from THE Mila-Rose. The three women went back to back, preparing their special ability while the Mila-Rose dopplegangers stood as a wall between them and the rest of the opponents.

The trio grabbed their left arm and in unison, unleashed their ultimate weapon.

"Chimera Parca."

Their left arms glowed red before dissolving into a red mass of energy. This strange technique caused the rest of the arrancar to stop and watch with wonder. In the red ball of energy, a dark form shaped and started growing. Said shape soon turned into a figure. When the red energy dissipated, a tall, muscular entitiy was left. Its skin was dark and its body was something strange. The man's legs resembled Apaches; they were covered in a brown fur and had hooves for feet. It's tale was a large snake, resembling what Sun-Sun looked like as an Adjuchas. The thing's head looked like a deer's skull with dark eye sockets. Like Apache, it had an impressive set of antlers. Finally, similar to Mila-Rose, it had a great mane of brown hair.

Its creation wasn't making that much of a psychological impact, yet.

"Say hellow to Ayon, dirtbags!" Apache, as expected, was the source of the noise. "Ayon, defeat these wimps for us."

The remaining duelists, Aizen and the Espada, Gin, and Tosen all waited anxiously to see this beast in action. They waited for a few seconds, but it seemed this 'Ayon' was just standing there. This made an enraged Apache.

"Hey moron, can you hear us through all that hair you got?"

Ayon started growing, much to everyone's amazement. He kept growing, and growing, and growing.

Twenty feet...

Thirty feet...

Fifty feet...

A hundred feet...

Two hundred feet...

Three hundred feet!..

After growing to an insane height, it stopped short of reaching the ceiling. Everyone, including Aizen, was bewildered by the unexpected growth. All of the opposing arrancars sonido-ed to give the huge abomination plenty of space as it stepped toward them. The nearly dozen remaining fighters all started unleashing their fury upon the beast. No one knew if it was in pain as it never yelled out or anything as its body took whatever the enemy threw at it.

"My goodness, Halibel. It seems your fraccion weren't exaggerating." Halibel smiled on the inside of her collar, happy that her fraccion made such an impression on Aizen and the others.

After all the blasts stopped and the smoke cleared, Ayon still stood there, although there were several wounds along his body. It moved before anyone could react. Its fist went through their ranks, knocking out four arrancars in that one punch. They were done in from just that. Everyone was stunned at the speed of Ayon's movements. For something of his size to have that kind of speed is...ridonculous. Before the others could even move, Ayon swung his other arm in a wide arc, taking the rest of the arrancars with it.

The force knocked them all over the place, burrying them in the walls on in the ground. Seeing no more enemies, it let out a roar that shook the entire building, confusing some thinking it was an earthquake. Its entire body glowed red again and dissipated. The red energy returned to the three women and reformed their arms. They resealed their zanpakutou and sonido-ed in front of Aizen and the others and bowed respectively. Sun-Sun spoke up for them.

"Lord Aizen, there appears to be no more opponents. I believe we have won."

Grimmjow laughed his ass off. "Won? Hahahha...you fucking massacred them! It only took one hit to knock each of those weaklings into next year!"

The three women felt a surge of pride and accomplishment as the Espada praised them. Aizen started softly clapping his hands. "That was well worth the whole wait, dears. Sun-Sun. Apache. Mila-Rose. You have done exceptionally well."

All four women's, Halibel's included, chests swelled with pride. The fraccion had proven, with little doubt in anyone's minds, that they were the deadliest. As they returned to their feet, Halibel came forth and patted each of their shoulders.

"Aizen-sama is correct. You have done very well. I am proud to be your master and friend. Now relax and wait for me in the main hall. The day's activities are not over yet."

"Really? What's going on, Halibel-sama?" Mila-Rose asked. Apache and Sun-Sun were wondering the same thing. Before Halibel could speak, Aizen's voice spoke over everyone's.

"Numeros and fraccion, please rest. If you needed medical attention, please make your way to the medical wing. If someone is unable to move, please help them. The Espada will duel outside of Las Noches to earn their ranks. Commander Tosen will send word when to meet back here."

With that, the Aizen, Gin, Tosen, and the Espada all disappeared view shunpo and sonido. Halibel was the last to leave. She gave a reassuring glance to her concerned fraccion before sonido-ing off herself.

* * *

><p>(Soul Society)<p>

Soifon was still upset with her Onmitsukido scouts' screwed up recon last week. So much she that unleashed her shikai and stabbed each of them once to let them know how much she hated them. One more stab in the same place and Suzumebachi's effect would have taken hold, killing them. At first, she was contempt with just beating the crap out of them, but she had only unleashed her zanpakutou when they gave her the mother of all horrible excuses that she's ever heard.

They got attacked by a cat and had to escape before Tessai Tsukabishi discovered their presence. Since than, she's sent different scouting groups to Kisuke Urahara's shop where they had tracked one of the humans with spiritual powers. They'd report that they could sense the boy's power only during late at night to early morning, after which it would almost completely disappear. They've yet to find any reason as to what could be causing that. Of course, that information was told _after _they had regained consciousness. All of her scouts kept getting dropped off outside Soul Society's western gate by someone.

After that first incident, the reports were always the same. It was assumed that Urahara and Tessai were training the boy. That, she felt, was unpermittable. It was Central 46 law to not have allow humans to have alot of spiritual pressure. If one were to exist, than action was to be taken against that person. It was also decided that Urahara be turned to human and Tessai be imprisioned for the accident eighty years ago. She was one who always upheld the law to the exact mark. However, their stealth was obviously compromised by some skilled assailant. Whoever this person was, he/she was really getting under her skin.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a slight knock on her door. "Who's there?" she called out. The sweet, serene voice of Retsu Unohana was not what she was expecting.

"It is Captain Unohana, Soifon."

Soifon stiffened at the name. She quickly went over and opened the door. Standing there was the peaceful 4th division captain, Unohana, one of the four oldest captains of the Gotei 13. She was wearing her captain's haori over her long outfit. Her raven hair was made into two braids that joined together in her front. Her posture was straight but relaxing at the same time. Instantly, Soifon bowed her head deeply out of respect for the seniority of the woman.

"Unohana-taicho, please forgive my callous shout. I had no idea you were coming."

The woman gave the uptight 2nd division captain her signature smile, not bothered the least by her tone. "It is alright, Soifon-taicho. It would have been proper for me to give heed of my coming, but that would take the surprise out of this visit, now wouldn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am, it would. Please, come in. Let me pull you up a chair." Soifon ushered the woman to a seat. Unohana gratefully took it while Soifon pulled up her on. With most people, she'd have let them stand or grab their own seat while she sat behind her desk, but Unohana was one of the very few people whom she looked up to with the most respect she could muster.

"May I ask about this unexpected visit, Unohana-taicho?" It wasn't often she got a visit from her, probably just once a year. The smiling 4th division captain made herself comforable before she spoke.

"I was just curious about your well-being, Soifon-taicho. I hope I haven't interrupted work or something."

Soifon gave a small smile, something that was very uncharacteristic of her. "No, Unohana-taicho, you haven't. And please, you don't have to use honorifics to me if you don't want to."

Unohana giggled a little. "Funny. I was just about to tell you the same thing. No need being formal during such a casual visit. Just call me either Retsu or Unohana, if that's alright with you."

Soifon was surprised by the offer. She honestly didn't think she could do that. "It'll be very difficult for me, ma'am. I hold you with so much respect."

The older, although still beautiful and youthful, woman chuckled at the praise, causing her to even feel embarrassed. "Is that so? Well, in that case, you can continue to use honorifics, but please, don't call me ma'am. I don't need to feel any older than I already do."

Soifon was speechless that the woman would even think she was old. Sure, she was one of the oldest and most powerful captains, but time seemed to have never touched her. Said woman just continued to a different subject.

"Besides, about your well-being, I noticed that you've looked stressed out recently. Is there anything I can do? I understand you have gained alot of responsibility lately, being captain of the police and commander of the Onmitsukido, and I was wondering if there was anyway I could help you deal with whatever you're feeling."

Soifon felt very grateful than. One of her greateast role models took the time to come out here and check on her, just cuz she was stressed out. "Thank you, Unohana-taicho. I have just been dealing with this one case, yet some of my men are complete morons."

"Oh really? Do tell, if you're permitted."

"It's okay," she said. She could really discuss anything with Unohana besides assassinations. That was off limits to everybody except for the Captain-Commander and high ranking members of Central 46. "It's just a report a little over a week ago from Captain Hitsugaya stated that two humans defeated several hollows, including an Adjuchas-class menos. Captain Yamamoto decided to let me deal with the case. The first team I sent in to track the humans down and gather intel got their butts handed to them."

"The humans defeated members of the Onmitsukido?" Unohana asked. She seemed a little relieved, but Soifon didn't catch it. No doubt that was a touchy subject. However, Soifon assured her not.

"Not the humans," she said grudgingly. "Those morons got their asses kicked by a cat." 'Idiots,' she mumbled. How embarrassing this must've been, telling her role model that her Onmitsukido scout team were so weak. She didn't want to be seen a the commander of a bunch of weaklings. However, Unohana stifled a giggle.

"A cat? My, that..sounds familiar for some reason, but I can't remember. You haven't received anymore trouble from this cat, have you?"

"Not the cat," Soifon said, "but someone is beating the mess out of any men I send out there and dropping them off at the gates of Seiretei. They all swear that they didn't know who knocked them out or how. Kisuke must have some ally over there."

The mention of the former 12th division captain increased Unohana's curiosity. It'd been what, eighty years since she's heard that name. She thought back to the surprisingly genius man. As the third seat of the 2nd division and commander of the detention unit, he was a soft spoken, withdrawed man. When he became captain of the twelvth division, he had to do a complete 180 with his personality to handle the role. Truth be told, she was sad when they gave his sentence. She felt it was unjust as they never gave Kisuke and Tessai the chance to defend themselves. However, she was glad that they escaped before their sentences was carried out.

"Might I inquire as to what Kisuke has to do with this?" she asked curiously.

"It's his residence that the boy is staying at. None of our scouts have been able to get within fifty feet of the place without getting the snot pounded out of them. We've already obtained the other human. He wasn't as troublesome, though he did manage to somehow kill four of my men."

"Oh dear," Unohana replied, a sad tone in her voice. "That is very unfortunate. I can imagine the stress you must be dealing with, Soifon. I'm very sorry for your loss."

"It's okay, Unohana-taicho. It's part of the job. All of us Onmitsukido know full well the risks we take. We die with no regrets except that we couldn't have done better."

Unohana didn't like this philosophy, but who was she to judge the ways of another division. Still, it was a sad lifestyle. She looked into Soifon's eyes that she was more stressed than she'd let on. Now, she figured, wouldn't be the time to push any further. "I must take my leave now, Soifon, dear. I have enjoyed our talk and wish you well on your case."

Soifon shot up and bowed her head deeply. "It was a great pleasure to have your company, Unohana-taicho. Please feel free to come by anytime."

The gentle woman nodded. "Yes, you can be sure I will. I can see that this conversation has helped you a little bit. Even if it's baby-steps I'm taking, I'll make sure you are yourself again." With that, she made her way out of the room towards the barrack's entrance. Soifon, as thankful as she was, muttered softly, "This is myself all the time, Unohana-taicho."

* * *

><p>Malik was sweating like a whore in church at the moment. His two opponents stood before him, drenched in sweat as well, but their breathing wasn't as labored. He stood covered in bruises and cuts from the punishment Kisuke and Yoruichi had been handing him. They weren't unscathered either..well, Urahara was, but Malik had yet to land a solid blow against Yoruichi.<p>

He glanced at the panting woman who was taking the moment to catch her wind. She had been laying into him like there was no tomorrow while Urahara had remained a threat from a distance with his advanced mastery of bakudo and kido spells. If Malik tried to attack Urahara, he'd draw him in to the awaiting fists and feet of the 'Goddess of Flash'. Urahara, he could track, but Yoruichi has shown dozens of times that she possessed the speed to escape all of his senses which she would follow up with a hit from out of nowhere. Several times today he has felt the pain of an ikkatsu punch from the woman.

They had to give it to Malik: the boy had some serious swordsmanship skills for someone his age. No doubt, it was from his old man Toicha training him since he could walk and the boost in speed and reflexes from his spiritual powers and zanpakutou. His rate of progression still shocked them. The boy's determination was strong as steel and his spiritual powers seemed to be feeding off of it, constantly growing. Heck, they'd even say that he's gotten better during their bout.

His reach was insane with his released zanpakutou named Gabriel Celesti. It was deceptively fast and easy to control despite its length. Even though he had two more zanpakutous, Malik still hadn't chose to use them yet. He probably just wanted to get the hang of his first sword at the moment. Thrice, he nearly caught them with huge blasts of energy that he'd shoot out of his swords. Sometimes they would be wide lines that spread from one side of the room to its opposite, or the blasts would resemble ceros on steroids.

Though he still couldn't catch Yoruichi, Malik never let up and eventually started trying to lure her into traps. He was learning quickly. Urahara would also find himself dodging kido and bakudo spells that were extraordinarily stronger than the day before he got his shikai. He was getting better, no matter how much they pounded him. When they'd knock him down, hoping that he'd be done in, he'd amaze them by slowly getting back to his feet and coming back harder. Though his energy never leaked out or flared up, there seemed to be an unlimited amount within him.

When Malik got about his fifthteenth wind back, he held his hand out. "Bakudo #4 Hainawa."

The two captains recognized the kido and dodged to evade the binding spell. It was easier for Yoruichi but Urahara had a harder time. Malik's skills with the spells had increased exponentially. What was once a slow moving pair of yellow energy cords were now dozens of fast moving ropes. He successfully avoided all but a single one that wrapped around his ankle.

"Hado #11 Tsuzuri Raiden," Malik mumbled. Urahara gulped when he saw the electric current flow through the energy rope of hainawa straight towards him.

"Yoruichi, I know we've had our differences in the past but could you please help me out."

The woman seemed to have felt lenient towards 'Sandal-hat' and shunpo-ed behind Malik ready to knock his lights out.

'Fell right into my trap.' Malik smiled and mumbled another spell, "Bakudo #8 Seki." The familiar round shield appeared behind his back and Yoruichi saw it but the force of her swing couldn't be stopped. Before her hand impacted the shield, she was able to mutter a single word.

"Shit."

Her fist connected with the shield and she was blown back instantly. Boy, Malik sure wasn't leaving anything to chance. She could normally punch through a small shield like that, given that anybody save for a kido master made it, but Malik made sure to make that little shield as sturdy as he could. And it worked, obviously.

Yoruichi tried to get up to answer Hat-n-clog's distressed 'HELP!' but the effects of the seki were doing their job. Bakudo #8 Seki produces a small shield that could deflect and even paralyze anything that hits it. Yoruichi tried to move but her body didn't respond. At the bottom of her field of vision, she could just make out the floating form of Kisuke's body jerking in unnatural ways as the Hado #11 Tsuzuri Raiden electricfied him. He screamed in pain and for mercy as the voltage circulated throughout his body. For a second, Yoruichi swore she saw his entire skeletal system.

Malik felt it was enough and released the bond. Urahara's favorit green robe was destroyed with little fire patches here and there. His eyes were wide, wordlessly telling her the amount of pain he was in. She saw that the majority of his body was red from the electric burns and winced at the thought of going through that. Shakily, Urahara adjusted his hat.

"Let's...call that a day." He brought out his little fan but much to his disappointment, it was burnt to a crisp. "Awwww..." he wimpered.

Malik started laughing at the man's expense. He approached Yoruichi's prone form and knelt by her head. Inwardly, he felt bad for her. For someone who was so strong and confident to be so vulnerable right now. Her golden orbs looked up at him, showing a bit of anger and damaged pride. Malik couldn't help but get payback. "It looks the we've switched positions, Yoruichi-taicho."

Her eyes slanted into a glare. She tried to say something but the paralysis was still in effect. He brought his head just to her ear, his warm breath causing her chest to rise and fall heavily as it danced along her neck, making her heart rate increase, and her neck hairs rise. "Who's the little child now?"

Unknowing of the effect he was actually having on her, he laughed and picked her up bridal style. She was first put out that he'd caught her by surprise, but that feeling was put on the shelf for later. Right now, all she could think about was being pressed against his strong body. The musky smell of sweat and blood mixed in her nose, creating a kind of lure to her. If she could move, she would've pressed her nose in the crook of his neck to inhale his scent. However, she could live with just his arm as a head rest right now. She found herself shocked by the way she was enjoying the position she was in.

'I might just let him win more often,' she thought.

With some of the seki's effects wearing off, she was able to turn her head into his body and smile, taking in as much of his scent as possible. Her left hand moved to his right pectoral but he paid it no mind, except for looking down at her with his hazel/blue eyes and smiled. Faintly, through all of that muscle, she could feel his heartbeat. Smiling some more, she let the rhythm of his heart reverberate through her hand to the rest of her body. It soothed her, so she tried to milk the paralysis thing for all that she could as he carried her off like a princess.

* * *

><p>Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila-Rose slowly came into one of the many large lobbies. The lobby was a massive room, surrounded by pillars. There were several sets of furniture spread throughout the room for anyone's use. Here, the numeros and fraccion could hang out or do anything to pass the time. Along the edges of the room, there were about half a dozen balconies overlooking the desert of Hueco Mundo and the rest of the fortress.<p>

When the trio arrancar girls made their way into the room, it was already filled with fellow arrancar. They looked around but all of the furniture was taken. One of their members wasn't too happy about that.

"Agghh...man, we kicked ass today! Why should we be left standing?" argued the blue haired, heterochromian Apache.

"Calm down, Apache." This came from the queen of calmness herself, Sun-Sun. The girl sported her usual arrancar uniform, which was just a white dress that had sleeves that hung loosely off her hands. She'd jade hair and three pink dots underneath her right eye. Her mask fragment was a white, bone, hairclip. "A spot will open up surely."

"Yeah, it's alright," assured their last member, Mila-Rose. The taller, brown skinned, busty woman slapped her friend on the back, knocking her off balanced. She wore more revealing clothers, opting with a white skirt that went just below her bottom and a top that stopped above her toned stomach. The pop on the back just made the short-tempered Apache even madder.

"Watch it, Mila-Rose!" she barked, stepping up to her green-eyed companion. She was so close that her mask fragment, which was a single horn that curved upward from the center of her forehead, was making Mila-Rose crosseyed. Said woman tried to put some space between them.

"Quit whining. You've been doing it ever since we got here."

"I have to agree with Mila-Rose, Apache. You are getting upset over something as trivial as furniture," said Sun-Sun. Apache turned on her as well.

"Don't you take her side, Sun-Sun!" she yelled in her face. Sun-Sun merely waved her off with a sleeved hand.

"Tsk, tsk. You're lucky you have us, or you're temper would've gotten you killed long ago."

"What do you mean, 'long ago?' We've only known each other for like two weeks!"

Mila patted Apache on her head and bent over to speak down on her like a child. "And how our whittle Apache survived on her own as long as she did is perhaps the greatest mystery ever." Her smirk after she said that was met with a sucker punch to the jaw. Apache was fuming now, with steam coming out of her ears and several veins popping out of her head.

"What do you mean it's a mystery? I'm a better survivor than you, you gorilla bitch!"

"Who are you calling a gorilla bitch, you scrawny tomboy!" Their foreheads were pressed hard against each others than, despite the small crowd of guys watching and making bets.

"You two are so immature," Sun-Sun said from behind her sleeve.

They both turned towards her, their heads getting huge cartoon style. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" they yelled in unison.

(narrator) "And thus began the first of many, many...many, many, many, oh my God, I can't believe there are this many, arguments. These women, though vastly different, were brought together by fate...which came in the form of an incredibly hot woman with an amazing rack...and yet they somehow keep together despite their many disagreements. How can this be possible? What will their purpose be? Will they ever coexist peacefully? Not until my grandmother rolls over in her grave, or O.J. is actually innocent, or Obama actually stops spending money, or Ashton stops cheating on Demi Moore, or until Walt Disney stops sleeping in cryo cuz he's waiting for there to be no more jews, or until Israel and Palestine live together in harmony, or until magical unicorns fly across the skies, eating butterflies and crapping rainbows-"

"HEY!" Apache and Mila-Rose shouted up seemingly at the ceiling. "JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? HOW ABOUT WE CO-EXIST OUR FOOT UP YOUR ASS?"

(narrator) "And thus, the time is now that I make my escape, lest I have the brutish, rugged Mila give me an enima with Apache's dumb looking mask fragment-"

"CERO!"

Two separate ceros rip through the air, hitting everywhere around the mysterious voice.

(narrator) "Till next time!"

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><p><strong>AN: **Well, that'd just about do it with chapter 5. I had hoped to write about the fraccion choosing, but I guess I'll just do that next chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed a little fluff with Yoruichi. I enjoyed writing that part very much. I'm also setting up an event with Soifon. Besides, the narrator thing at the end just came out of nowhere. I was bored and tired, and that made me laugh, so whatever. It's like past midnight here and I'm already thinking about hitting Tia's rack-I meant the sack! I'm already thinking about hitting the sack. Please let me know if I'm using the -taicho honorific wrong.

Well, I hope you liked it. Please read and review!


	7. Alot of stuff happening

A Child's Journey

**A/N:** Hey, thanks for tuning in to this chapter, everyone. I've really appreciated your favs and reviews. Darkmaster, I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to wait another chapter or two for the Privaron. I'll explain at the end of the chapter. Besides, this chapter is almost 9,000 words, and I usually don't like writing more than that per chapter. There was just so much to put in this chapter, it was very tiresome.

Anyway, please enjoy.

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><p>(Hueco Mundo)<p>

The three girls were waiting anxiously for the return of the Espada. Really, they were only waiting for the return of their mistress, Tia Halibel. It was about an hour ago when Aizen took off with his Espada. They knew leaving them there was for their own safety. Even from inside the fortress, they could feel nearly every burst of reiatsu from the battles that would decide the ranks of the ten powerhouses. If any of the fraccion had gone to watch, they would've been fried from the amount of spiritual pressure in the air.

"I hope Halibel-sama is doing alright?" Surprisingly, the concern came from Apache. Even if her tone was uncharacteristic of her, the others didn't bother picking on her. They were wondering the same thing. Has Halibel already fought? If she did, did she win, or lose? What rank will she be? When will all the fighting be over? There was a huge burst of reiatsu coming from the Espada's location that made them shudder.

"I'm sure Halibel-sama's doing just fine, Apache," Mila-Rose said. She put an arm around her companion as they sat on the edge of the balcony, looking in the direction of where their mistress would be. "I doubt any of the Espada can match her." Very uncharacteristically of Apache, she leaned into her larger friend's body. They may argue alot, and may even fight from time to time, but they cared much for each other. Tia brought them together and taught them to always stay together, even if something should happen to her. Though killing was frowned upon in these matches, it was unpreventable and there was reason to worry.

An even larger energy burst than the one from before sent shivers as it washed over their bodies. Sun-Sun had yet to say anything after their first argument ended, opting to just spectate in silence. In the far distance, they could just make out a huge dust cloud, which gave way to a massive explosion.

"Man, they're really slugging it out, aren't they?"

Mila nodded. "Yeah. Scary to think that someone could be that strong, yah?" They watched the battle through the sensing of the Espada's reiatsu. One was still strong but the other was weakening at an alarming rate. "Looks like another one's about to bite the dust."

As if on cue, the weaker signature dropped below normal. The apparent winner's power dropped back to what it was normally.

"You think that was Halibel-sama's spiritual pressure?" Apache asked. Mila shook her head.

"Nah, Halibel-sama's gonna be way bigger," the other girl assured.

Sun-Sun had been watching her two friends for a bit, contemplating whether to go and sit by them. She had been waiting for a while to see if they were gonna start arguing or fighting, but when she saw the close contact and comforting between the two, she found herself longing for it too. Most of the time, she would always stick to herself, normally so she could watch out for them two. Before she met Mila-Rose, she was a loner, opting only to kill when she saw the most opportune moment. She was still like that to a certain degree, and it was unlike her to do what she was about to do.

She got up from the corner of the balcony, now sure that she wouldn't regret walking to where they were and sit beside them. As she did just that, she tried to ignore the stares from Apache and Mila-Rose.

"Aww, did someone finally get tired of being anti-social?" Mila quipped. Sun-Sun rolled her eyes.

"And here I was thinking that I was actually going to sit peacefully with my friends and not regret it." She expected a smart remark but when she looked over, Mila-Rose had a big grin on her face. Her arm shot out like a cobra, wrapping around her shoulder and closing the distance. She was embarassed enough to let a slight blush escape. Mila-Rose wasn't paying attention that Sun-Sun's head was pressed roughly against her right breast with her bear hug.

"Who says you'll regret it? Besides, we figured if we played nice long enough you'll eventually get lonesome." Sun-Sun's eyes widened at the assumption of her becoming lonesome, especially when it came from Mila-Rose.

"What makes you think that I would get lonesome?"

Her question was surprisingly answered by Apache. The answer had to come from her, of all people. "You may think you're hard to read, Sun-Sun, but you're not as clever as you think. We are the best friends you've got, whether we're fighting or not. If we weren't here, you'd miss the crap outta us."

She hit the nail on the head. Sun-Sun wouldn't have ever believed that Apache, their short-tempered friend, would have figured out the inner workings of the most calm and collected person in their group. No, that wasn't fair to Apache. Her horned friend may seem immature, but she's only known her for a couple of weeks. Perhaps there was a whole other side to her.

"You may be right," she mumbled. That was a good enough answer for Mila-Rose. She squeezed both of them, despite the red blushes on their faces. Mila wasn't aware of their position in relation to her assets and this moment they were having, where all were peaceful and happy, was probably going to be rare, so they didn't want to ruin it with something as trivial as a hug.

There were two more enormous bursts of reiatsu far out, most likely two Espada releasing. One of them felt very familiar to the girls.

"If I had to pick one, I'd say the one on the right is Halibel-sama," Sun-Sun said. She was focused now on the new battle instead of the big cushion her head was on. The other two agreed.

"Yeah, it definately feels like Halibel's energy." Mila-Rose said.

"I wonder who she's fighting?" Apache's question had the other two wondering as well.

* * *

><p>Halibel sonido-ed in between blasts from Lilynette. She was curious as to what role the young girl could possibly play in her and Stark's battle but when they fused, it became clear. Lilynette and Stark were one spirit, separated when they became an arrancar and one when he 'released' her. She was his zanpakutou, in other words. They were in their resurreccion form now.<p>

She had to admit, the clothing change Stark had was nice. He looked like a gunslinger from an old western movie. He had a white duster with a furry collar, and his mask fragment was an eye piece held around his head with a string. When they had fused, Lilynette became a pair of pistols that fired powerful ceros each time he pulled the trigger.

She was in her resurreccion form as well. Tiburon had removed the majority of her mask fragment. The only bit that was left was a happy trail of bones from her loins to the area just between her breasts. Her zanpakutou was now a large sword resembling a giant shark's tooth. It had a handguard that went up to her elbow, as her arm slid into a slot.

He fired a larger cero this time. She could take it. Holding her Tiburon in front of her, she hadn't a problem deflecting it. Stark used the cero as a distraction to sonido up close. His close proximity meant danger. He fired two more ceros at her but they hit air. He looked around and caught sight of her above him.

"La Gota."

Water materialized over her sword and solidified. As if like a gun, she fired the projectile of water down on him. The high speed cameras he had for eyes easily saw it and all it took on his part was a sidestep.

"Hey, no fair! She has a gun too!" screamed Lilynette.

"Indeed, Lilynette. Looks like we're not the only gunslingers here." Lilynette continued on about how Tia was a jerk but he didn't feel like listening. 'If only she had a mute button.' He saw several more water blasts coming his way so he took the proper steps to avoid getting hit but nothing more. He lifted his gun to her and a blue cero started charging at the barrel. "Lilynette, I just want to end this than sleep, okay? So be sure to give this everything you've got."

He bit down on his thumb enough to draw blood. He smeared it across the muzzle of Lilynette and the charge grew even more. "Let's hope this works."

Halibel's eyes widen at what he was about to attempt. She had already learned that when he charged his shots, he could rapidly fire off hundreds of ceros. But what he was planning on doing was insane. The Espada had an exclusive cero, the 'Gran Rey Cero', that required blood to mix with the cero. He was planning on rapid firing Gran Rey Ceros. Surely he knew that there must be some sort of risk with that, like a backfire.

She cancelled her La Gota charge and sonido-ed as far as she could. Anywhere besides where he was pointing Lilynette at. The other Espada and Aizen and his duo were watching and knew what he was attempting. Some thought that this would do Halibel in and he would become the Primera Espada, but there were others who thought Stark was going to kill himself. Aizen just watched with much excitement at the sight he was about to see.

"Gran Rey Cero-Infinite."

A huge cero erupted from his gun, blocking out the night sky from the others. The recoil though was sending Stark back as fast as his cero was traveling. After the first cero ended, the gun sparked out. Halibel saw the massive cero coming towards her and was relieved that it was just one. She moved far enough away to let it pass by her. 'It must not have worked. I caught a break there.'

"Lilynette, are you alright?" He tapped his right gun against his thigh a couple of times but never got a response. "Lilynette?"

A blue light started shining from the gun. 'Oh shit' was his thought before the grandest display of uncontrolled raw power ever seen happened. Seeing another cero about to come out, he pointed it towards the general direction of Halibel. He couldn't see her though, as she probably figured out what he was trying to do and tried to put as much distance between her and him as she could.

Another single Gran Rey Cero shot from the barrel, kicking him back more. Stark brought up his other gun and fired a charged cero from it. The hundreds of blasts in the opposite direction slowed down the distance he was currently traveling from his Gran Rey screw up recoil. However, unlike the first time, after the lonely cero ended, dozens more flew from his gun per second.

"HOLY SHIT!" he cried. The recoil of the blasts was tremendous. His arm was jerking in every direction, scattering the shots everywhere.

"HOLY SHIT!" the Espada and Gin yelled.

"HIT THE DECK!" Grimmjow yelled. Nobody hesitated to drop to the ground as a wild Gran Rey Cero flew above their heads.

"HOLY SHIT!" yelled Tia. His eyes bugged out of her head when she saw the hundreds of Gran Rey Ceros coming towards her direction. It didn't matter that they weren't aiming at her, but she was still within their general path. She sonido-ed as close to the ground as she could, since the blasts were too wide for her to have a chance at covering, and too high for her to get above it.

Pushing her body to its limits, she flash-stepped as hard and as fast as she could to get underneath what would be certain death for her. Just when her feet landed on the grounded, the ceros flew overhead, just about fifty feet above her. She could no longer see the sky, whether she looked up, left, or right. It was all covered by the massive blue barrage of ceros. That was how massive and how many the ceros were. However, it might be her only chance, given the circumstance, to end this battle. She looked towards where they were coming from and just made out Stark's spiritual pressure.

'This energy wave will mask my reiatsu. If I can close the distance between us, he'd never see me coming.'

So that was her plan. She didn't hesitate to sonido as fast as she could towards Stark. She didn't know how much longer this was going to last.

* * *

><p>Stark was quickly losing control of the ceros and Lilynette looked like she literally could break at any second. 'The amount of strain this move must be having on her body has got to be unbelievable. I can't believe she's lasted this long.'<p>

"Lilynette, if you can, stop this. You can't take much more." He couldn't hear a reply from her and for once, he actually started to panic. "Lilynette!"

He still couldn't get a response from her but he started to feel relief when the blasts started slowing down. The ceros' rate of fire dwindled from the almost hundreds to about a few dozens, than down to just a single one. Now that his vision wasn't blinded by the ceros, his eyes swelled at the damage his Lilynette had suffered. There were cracks all along her frame and smoke was spewing out of the barrel. He looked over at his other gun and saw it was the same shape. 'Why?'

A blurry figure appeared in front of him and he was shocked, to say the least, Halibel panting heavily with her sword at his throat. 'How did she escape that?'

"I submit," he said, surprising her. After the shape he saw Lilynette in, he didn't want to continue this fight. He didn't want to be the Primera that bad; not at the cost of his energetic little counterpart. He looked Halibel in the eyes and she saw why he surrendered. She nodded respectively and lowered her sword.

The two Espada resealed their zanpakutou. Lilynette's form emerged in Stark's arms. The stress she received as the gun carried over all to visibly to her body. There were dark bruises and lacerations and even some bones were sticking out of her skin through her arms and legs. She was unconscious and having labored breathing. Tia placed a hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him.

"You're luckier than any person I know, Stark-san. To have someone who would have sacrificed themself to help you is more valuable than anything else. I know a little bit of healing. I will try to do the best I can, but we will need a doctor."

Stark was surprised by her generosity but didn't deny the help. Halibel's hands generated water around them as they hovered just over the limp girl's body. They started to softly glow a bright blue and the water spread out to all of her wounds. While she was doing this, Aizen and the rest of the Espada popped up in front of them. None besides Nel and Aizen really showed any kind of sympathy or concern for Lilynette.

"Lilynette!" Nel screamed. She appeared back behind Stark but only dared to watch. She could tell Halibel was trying to patch the little girl up and she didn't want to disrupt her work. Aizen came up slowly as well, the concern evident on his face.

"I will have our best doctors tend to her. After you do what you can, Halibel, we'll move her."

He hated to see Lilynette like this. Normally, he wouldn't have cared for any of them that much, as long as in the end, his plans came to fruition. However, that did not mean he would neglect his Espada. They were very valuable to him. And Lilynette..she, combined with Stark, created a truly powerful ally. That multiple Gran Rey Cero was reckless and perhaps suicidal, as it showed for Lilynette, yet it was magnificent. The most amazing thing he'd ever seen. He would make sure that Lilynette was looked after.

* * *

><p>Malik sprawled out onto his mat. His mood was fantastic today. He'd given Urahara one helluva shock therapy session and he knocked Yoruichi's ego down a little bit. Though she never boasted or ridiculed him, it was her constant teasing, both on and off the field. During training, she had constantly made him look like his legs were broken from her speed and hakudo skill. Off from training, she would always take time out of the day to tease him like she did that first time.<p>

He figured it was her confidence in herself that gave her the nerve to 'accidentally' lift her oversized shirt up, which had no clothing article underneath it, just when he walked into the room; or 'accidentally loose' her grip on the towel she had wrapped around her whenever she got out of the shower. He didn't hate it like, 'she's ugly,' no farthest thing from it. He hated it because her strong, lithe body and her well-formed curves, both high and low, drove him insane. Everytime she would do it, he'd have a nosebleed or a tent trying to pitch itself up.

Now though, now that he's beaten her, maybe she will let up. It was a flawed idea, but it was really the only one he had. Malik went over and picked up the zanpakutou that his grandfather gave him. It emitted that red mist again and he soon heard its voice in his head.

'**How was your training today, Malik?'**

**'**It actually turned out great, spirit. I released my shikai and fought Urahara and Yoruichi two-on-one. Craziest thing is that I beat them. It lasted a while, and I did get my ass kicked plenty of times, but I finally caught ol' Hat-n-clogs with a bakudo and hado spell that electricfied him, and Yoruichi was tricked into hitting my seki shield which temporarily paralyzed her.'

**'My, you had quite the experience than. And you look like you went through Hell.'**

'You don't know that half of it,' he replied.

**'Actually, I'm finding out all of it right now. I'm looking through your memories as we speak.'**

'WHAT? Hey, those are private! You can't just look through someone's mind like that! It's just wrong.' If someone would have walked by, they would have seen Malik sitting indian style, fist raised up, and yelling at no one. He could feel a little different, like an invisible or imaginary force softly clawing its way deeper into his brain. It felt weird, for lack of a better word.

'So hey, since I'm letting you get away with my memories, why not go ahead and tell me your name?'

The spirit's laughed its head off at that. '**Nice try, Malik. You're not ready for it, but I will admit, you are getting closer.'**

'You told me a while ago about trials. What kind of trials?'

**'The kind that you won't know about until after you have completed them.'**

Malik threw up his hands up in an exasperated motion. 'Not fair.'

'**I bet you won't be saying that when you say my name...if I think you've earned it.'**

'Ya know, when I do learn your name, I'm gonna make you wait like a week. What do you think about that?'

**'I think that I'll just go back to sleep and wait another couple thousand years. I doubt you'll live that long.'**

**'**Fine, you got me there. But still, you're still being unfair.'

**'From your point of view.'**

'Whatever,' he finished. 'I'm going to sleep. Talk to you later.'

With that, he laid the zanpakutou by his side and crawled under his covers. "That spirit is gonna be the end of me." After turning a couple of times, he finally found a comfortable position to pass out in. As his eyes closed, the sandman came and put him under his spell.

* * *

><p>Yoruichi was laid out on her cushioned pallet, trying to sleep, but her mind was too busy. That moment when Malik was carrying her had been in her mind all day. There was definately physical attraction between them. He'd blush horribly whenever she revealed a little bit to him and she'd subtly let her eyes roam his body during training. Her favorite view was when he'd bring his zanpakutou back for a slash. She couldn't help but ogle his wide open midsection as the tight muscles stretched, revealing many deep cuts along his abs and sides.<p>

Another thing she loved was his soft brown hair that fall to his eyebrows and to his lower neck. She wish she could just run her fingers through that head and rub him like he was her pet. She started to blush a bit when the image of him with a collar around his neck popped into her head. She'd be laying on the beach somewhere with the orange sun just setting over the horizon, than he'd come up with just some shorts on and the collar saying, "Malik. Owner: Yoruichi Shihoin," and hold out a tray with a drink on it to her.

'Yeah, I could go for that,' she thought. Her fantasy continued on with some things that were surprisingly forward and explicit. She'd have Malik to thank for that by the way he'd talked to her while she laid paralyzed on the ground.

Yet, there was also something else there. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. She'd felt it during the first time he'd seen her true form. The way he had focused so intently on her eyes and face, than her body. The fact that he had never realized her nudity until she said something had made her flattered. More so than any other person had ever done. It had also awakened something else inside her, but she had no idea what it was.

As the night dragged on, her body just became restless so she decided to put on a large shirt that came down just past her bare bottom and take a walk outside. She made sure to tiptoe past Malik's room so she wouldn't wake him. For a moment though, before she continued on, she had thought about going in there. She did not know what she would have done once inside, but she pushed on towards the cool outdoors.

When she got outside, her body shuddered once when a cool night breeze blew across and through her clothing. She closed her eyes and focused on hearing the night. After a couple of minutes, she relaxed when there weren't any Onmitsukido watching the shop. She had made sure that they didn't disturb Malik's training. She had also made sure that they didn't see her when she took them out. There wasn't anymore doubt though that they knew Malik's position. They'll come for him again, but they'd have to go through her first.

Unknown to her, her thoughts were being fueled by her animalistic instincts to protect. Protect who and why wasn't completely understood. Though one's best guess would be that she was protecting Malik but as to why still wasn't clear. Probably just cuz he was her pupil.

"Let the whole police force and Onmitsukido come here. They won't get one foot in the house," she muttered. For some reason, her body seemed more relaxed then earlier. 'Perhaps now would be my best chance to get some sleep.'

She disappeared back into the house. As she was making her way past Malik's room again, she stopped when she heard him toss around and mumble a few indistinct words. She felt her chest start pounding a little faster. Before she knew it, her hand had pulled the sliding door to Malik's room open and she was stepping through it. There, sleeping before her, was the main object of her mind and physical attraction.

Malik slept soundly on his pallet. Some time during his tossing and turning, he had thrown his blanket over to the side and he slept there uncovered. She blushed slightly at his bare form, the only thing keeping him descent was his blue boxers. It was a clear contrast to his tanned, nearly brown skin. She wouldn't be innocent of numerous ideas that went through her head. She blushed some more and shook those thoughts away. He needed a teacher, not a lover.

She stepped lightly over to retrieve his blanket and spreaded it out evenly over him. As she was about to pull away, his hand came out and took one of hers. She frozed instantly. She'd been caught. How was she going to explain this to him?

She sweatdropped when his eyes never opened and he mumbled again. He was still asleep. Yoruichi felt her heart rate slow down again from the break she'd caught. He pulled her hand more into his grasp till it was flat against his chest. Though she still had the decency to blush, she couldn't stop the few naughty thoughts that popped up again. She had to mentally slap herself again.

'What the Hell is with me? I've been like a horny cat in heat lately. No more of Kisuke's beef ramen.'

As much as she wanted to keep her hand there, to feel his warm chest, to feel his heartbeat, she didn't want to be caught off guard in this position. She carefully lifted his hands up to pry her other hand free. She couldn't help herself and placed her hand along his cheek.

"You'll have to buy me dinner first," she whispered teasingly. Stepping away, she took one last, long look over his peacefully sleeping form before exiting his room. As she went into her own room, she tried to figure out why she was blushing so much around him. 'That boy is driving me up the wall, and he's not even doing anything!'

* * *

><p>All of the fraccion were called by Tosen via Bakudo #77 to meet in the main chamber immediately. Everyone started chattering insessantly about which Espada probably got what rank. Their questions would be answered as soon as they all got to the designated meeting spot. Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila-Rose were anxious to see their mistress again. They were very worried for her when they all felt an unbelievable energy blast from her opponent. They even saw the blasts from their balcony perch.<p>

It took about five minutes, but eventually everyone got situated. Standing before them all were Aizen, Gin, Tosen, and the Espada, with the exception of Stark and Lilynette. The three girls were especially relieved to see their Halibel-sama standing strong.

"My dear Numeros, give me your attention," Aizen called out. The room became so quiet that you could hear a mouse pee on cotton. "The matches determining what rank each Espada will receive has ended, and might I say that I was truly impressed with each and everyone's abilities. With the exception of Stark, who's attending an injured Lilynette, I will reveal the rankings of the Espada and they will be able to officially choose their fraccion."

"So which spot do you think Halibel-sama got?" Apache quietly asked Mila-Rose.

The dark arrancar shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, but I bet she's atleast in the top three," she whispered. They watched as Aizen held out a small piece of paper, most likely having the list written down so as not to forget the order.

"I will start with the Primera. This Espada will claim the position as the strongest of all arrancar, and will, by chain of command, answer only to Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tosen, and myself."

He waited a couple of seconds to teasingly build tension in the air. For the three girls, those seconds felt like hours. "The Primera is...Tia Halibel."

Apache and Mila-Rose shouted out joy. "Way to go, Halibel-sama!"

They were the loudest ones while everyone, save for an embarrassed Sun-Sun who was hiding her face, were clapping. Over at Halibel, who had stepped up to receive her tattoo, was shaking her head. 'What am I going to do with them? Atleast Sun-Sun has tact.'

"Halibel-san, where would you like your tattoo?" Aizen asked.

"How'za 'bout her boob?" asked Gin. His chuckling grew to a soft laughter when Halibel sent him a 'Go to Hell' look. Aizen found some amusement as well.

"As quirky as that would be, it is not up to you, Gin." Aizen was probably aware that he'd saved himself.

Halibel thought for a moment before pointing to below her waistline, centered under her belly button. Aizen impressively never blushed or showed any unnecessary expressions or ideas. He recited a short incantation and a black spot appeared on his right index. Allowing Halibel to lower her garment a little bit, he placed his finger on her body and drew a gothic style '1'. Halibel hissed a little bit from the sting but it was over as soon as it started.

Aizen stood back up and nodded respectively. "Congratulations, Primera Halibel. Now, who would you like to pick as your fraccion?"

She didn't really hesitate or think about it. She walked out into the parting crowd straight towards Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun. The former two were giddy and bouncing up and down.

"Show some pride, you two. You both looked like hyperactive children," said Sun-Sun. Apache and Mila-Rose calmed down but still spared her a glare. They'll get her later.

As Halibel finally came up to them, they calmed down completely. They didn't want to Halibel-sama to feel reluctant to pick them. "Apache-chan, Mila-Rose-chan, and Sun-Sun-chan. I choose you three to be my fraccion. I expect complete obedience and absolute respect at all times. Am I understood?"

The three girls kneeled before her in unison. "Aih, Halibel-sama. We understand completely."

"Very well," Halibel continued. "Stay with me." Halibel walked back to where the other Espada were with her three fraccion in tow.

"The Segunda Espada is Coyote Stark, but he is not here, so he'll receive his tattoo later," Aizen said. "Now, the Tercera Espada is Baraggan Luisenbarn."

The stocky old man stepped forward, although he didn't seem very happy. "Baraggan-san, where would you like your tattoo?"

The old, brown, wrinkled man grunted before pulling up his shirt and pointed to his right rib cage. "Very well," Aizen stated. He placed his finger over the Espada's ribs and began tracing a gothic style '3.' When he finished, Baraggan stepped forth into the crowd and started choosing his fraccion. Eventually, when he had found them all and made his way back to the other Espada, the fraccions' identities were made clear.

The very gayish Charlotte Cuuhlhourne, the bird man that Apache knocked into next year, Avirama Redder, a very calm and focused Findor Carias, the giant Choe Neng Poww, the short and cocky Ggio Vega, and finally the large mammoth known as Nirgge Parduoc.

"He favored strength in most of his fraccion. Only one of them has a level head on his shoulders," Halibel pointed out to her fraccion in a whisper. "He did it to appease his pride, no doubt. He cares not for them. He'll only call on them when he wants something done."

Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun felt bad for them. Those arrancar were going to find out how their master truly was soon enough.

"Now, the Quatro Espada is Neliel Tu Odelschwank."

As she stepped up, she turned around and lifted the back of her shirt. "I would like mine on my back, Aizen-sama," she declared in a rather...childish(?) voice. Aizen nodded and traced a large '4' on her back that strectched from her shoulder blades to the waist.

"Now, please choose your fraccion, Quatro."

The buxom beauty walked through the crowd gracefully. Eventually, she made her way to two very strange characters. "Pesche Guatiche, "Dondochakka Birstanne, I choose you two to be my friends and my fraccion. Do you accept?" The two arrancars fell to their knees.

"Yes, Neliel-sama," they replied.

"Good, follow me." They followed behind her like loyal puppies, but nearly ran into her when she stopped. She looked towards four women, a pair of twins, before approaching them. When she came face to faces with them, they all bowed their heads respectfully. "Loly Aivirrne, Menily Mallia, Ying, and Yang. I've chosen you four as well to be my fraccion. Do you accept?"

The four girls looked towards their own sisters and nodded before bowing. "Hai, Neliel-sama. We graciously accept."

"Yah," replied the Cuatro enthusiastically. "We'll have alot of fun together." Her smile was big but Pesche and Dondochakka were quivering. They were outnumbered by two pairs of sisters and both of them had a mean streak going. "Please follow me."

She returned to her spot amongst the Espada with her six 'friends' behind her. Halibel was indeed surprised. "I knew she was going to choose Pesche and Dondochakka, but I wasn't expecting the other four. They're so different from one another."

"The Quinto Espada is Ulquiorra Cifer." The paled skin, black haired Espada was emotionless as he stepped up. His face didn't give away any kind of feelings. He had green eyes along with marks that resembled green tear streaks, one under each eye. Wordlessly, Ulquiorra held up his right forearm.

"Very well, Quinto Espada." Aizen went through the same procedure as before and before they knew it, Ulquiorra had a black '5' on his right forearm. "You may pick your fraccion if you wish to have one."

Emotionless, the short Espada made his way through the crowd. All the way into the back where the person of interest stood. He approached an arrancar who was about six feet flat and had long red hair that had a pink tint to it. He was of decent build and had recently shown in his domination of his opponent in the tournament that he possessed amazing strength and was calm and calculating. He appealed to the quinto more than most with his quiet demeanor, much like his own.

"Arrancar, state your name," he ordered. The arrancar knelt to a knee, his expression never changing.

"I am Genesis, Quinto-sama."

Genesis, huh? For some reasons unclear, Ulquiorra liked the name. "Genesis, I have chosen you as a fraccion. Do you accept?"

"Hai, Ulquiorra-sama. I accept." Again, Genesis' face showed no expression: no excitement, joy, anger, apprehension, fear. Someone he could probably understand with ease. Good, that will make this fraccion thing easier. As Genesis followed him, they returned to the front of the crowd.

Besides that surprise, there was nothing else worth caring about. Grimmjow was the Sexta Espada and received his tattoo on the back of his shoulder, and his fraccion were Shawlong Kufang, Edrad Leones, Nakeem Grindina, Yylfordt Granz, Di Roy Linker, and Aisslinger Wernarr. Nnoitra Gilga was the Septima Espada. His tattoo was on his tongue and his sole fraccion was Tesla. The boy seemed nervous and was as loyal as a dog.

Szayel Aporro Granz was the Octava Espada and his tattoo was on his left pectoral. The man had too many fraccion to even consider remembering their names. Zommari Rereaux was the Novena Espada. His tattoo was on his inner left palm and he chose no fraccion. Finally, the Decima Espada was Yammy Llargo. He received his '10' tattoo on the back of his neck. The behemoth had decided to not have any fraccion.

When all the Espada received their appropriate ranks, Aizen dismissed them all to do what they pleased for the meantime. When he and his two commanders left, everyone exited the room to go about their own business. The fraccion went with their Espada and the Numeros who failed to become fraccion grudgingly walked off to where the Numeros' barracks were.

Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun followed Tia Habilel, aka 'Primera', to her wing of Las Noches where their rooms were. It was about a ten minutes walk, one where Halibel was bombarded with questions every step of the way. Said woman rubbed the temples of her head in annoyance.

'This is going to have to change. Maybe I should've gotten a male as well. That way he could take their heat instead of herself.'

* * *

><p>Malik was concentrating on the hardest kido spell he's tried learning yet. Hadou #33 Sokaitsui required an incantation nearly as big as a paragraph. None before were as taxing on his memory as this was. But still, for him, that was no excuse. Repetition. Repetition. He would memorize parts at a time, like learning the lyrics to a song.<p>

Urahara was gracious enough to write it all down on a piece of paper for him, but that was all he was willing to do as far as teach the incantation. When he felt Malik had it memorized, he would than show him the correct way to move the energy throughout his body and correctly send it towards its target.

Yoruichi, meanwhile, was doing what she'd been doing for the past three weeks. While it was Urahara's turn to teach, she would watch over the perimeter for the Onmitsukido who've grown fond of scouting his shop. This was the agreement they had after a serious conversation about the situation and what this meant.

(flashback)

_Yoruichi(in cat form) sat on her hindquarters across from Kisuke. Said man was sitting comfortably, cooling his self with his fan._

_"So, Yoruichi, what did you want to talk about? From the tone you used a couple of days ago, it sounded pretty important."_

_The feline nodded and began telling what happened during her arrival. "When I first got your message, I must say that I was surprised. We hadn't talked in over forty years. I was eager to come over, thus the reason for my early arrival."_

_"Aw, thanks, Yoruichi. That means alot to me," the shopkeep admitted. "Please continue than."_

_"It was not a problem," she stated. "However, the issue is that when I arrived here, but before I met Tessai Tsukabishi, I came upon to Onmitsukido scouts within the bushes."_

_At the mention of the stealth force watching his house, Urahara stopped fanning himself and his eyes narrowed. "What business could they possibly have with me? And I'm curious as to how they found my place."_

_"I was about to ask you the same thing, Kisuke. You haven't done anything to gain their attention then, I assume?"_

_A 'hmph' was his answer. "Like I want to be on their radar. So, what did you do with them?"_

_Her face took on a scowl as she prepared to say what happened next. "Well, first off, I knew than what they were there for, however, I just wanted to make sure YOU haven't done anything. One of them ignored me for the most part, with me being a cat and all. The two started talking about investigating two humans with large spiritual pressures; one of them having had slain an adjuchas hollow._

_However, when the fat one kept trying to shoo me away, his partner told him to ignore the ugly, fat cat. And so I decided to show them the wrath of a woman scorned."_

_Urahara whistled. "Man, I don't even want to know what you did to them." He rubbed his chin before something hit him. "Wait, you said he said humans. That means that they'll be after Toicha as well. I'll get Malik to give me his address so I can go check on him. It'd be best not to tell him about this either."_

_Yoruichi agreed with the plan. She was acquainted with Toicha, but not nearly as much as Tessai and Urahara were. They've known each other for probably somewhere around fifty years. "Very well. When you go out, I will stay here with Malik and Tessai. He will teach him some kido lessons while I watch the perimeter."_

_"Sounds good. Thanks, Yoruichi." _

_The man picked her up and gave her a good ear scratch, much to both her annoyance and pleasure. She was a proud warrior, but...the scratching FELT SOOOOOO GOOD. What was that about being proud or something? Who cares? _

_She regained her senses when he took off towards the training room where Malik was meditating with Tessai._

_(Malik's house)_

_Urahara was now very concerned. The address Malik had given him was written neatly and he was sure he hadn't misinterpreted anything. The house on the address was burnt to ashes. He would've searched the rubble but there was nothing left to search. It was all just ash. A person walking by noticed him looking at the sight._

_"It burned down two nights ago, mister. Rescue crews determined it was arson. They couldn't find Toicha-san or Malik-san though."_

_Urahara turned towards the lady, who must've been pushing seventy. "Ma'am, you know Toicha and Malik?"_

_"Yes, mister, I do. I'm their neighbor. They said the fire must've burnt their bones and everything. No bodies were found and no one in the whole city has seen them. They had their names in the paper and radio since. Poor Malik. Poor Toicha. I hope they are just on vacation or something. I've been neighbors with Toicha for thirty years. I was there when he took Malik in after he parents were killed and I've watched him raise that boy into a strong man."_

_Urahara took in this new information slowly. It helped him a little bit about the well-being of his friend. Now he also knew abit more about Malik and Toicha, though, through this old lady's testament._

_"That is very unfortunate, ma'am. I was a very good friend of Toicha. We'd been out of touch for many years now. I didn't even know he had a grandson. Thank you for this information. Looks like I'm going to have to go buy some flowers now."_

_"I'm sorry for your loss, mister. Toicha and Malik were very nice people. I can imagine some of the stress you are probably feeling now. No need to let me bother you more."_

_"Oh, you were no bother at all, ma'am." Urahara tipped his hat with a smile. "I'm glad I ran into you. And I hope you have a good day. It was nice meeting you."_

_"Likewise, young man." The old, black haired lady waved and started off towards her house. He subtly watched her walked up her steps and disappear into her house. Her information left him with more questions._

_"No body was discovered, huh?'_

_(That night at his shop)_

_He'd just explained everything he found out earlier that day to Yoruichi and Tessai. Both agreed that it was best that Malik not know about it. Also, it was agreed upon that most likely the Onmitsukido captured Toicha and took him to Soul Society where he would eventually be put to death for being a human with high spiritual powers. Lastly, they agreed that they would be especially wary of Onmitsukido or Gotei 13 showing up at their house. _

_"They must be after Malik. All evidence points to it," Tessai stated. _

_"We can take turns tutoring Malik. When one or two of us are busy training, the other can keep an eye out for them," Yoruichi stated. The two men nodded. _

_"Yes. Unfortunately, there isn't much that I know of that we can do for Toicha. He's in the Sereitei most likely and it's impossible to infiltrate it. We could easily defeat one of the four gate guardians but that will attract too much unwanted attention." As Urahara said this, he felt a knot of helplessness and anger at their misfortune._

_Yoruichi and Tessai understood his feelings. They didn't know anything they could do for him or their friend. The three of them couldn't hope to defeat the entire Gotei 13. _

_"Kisuke, don't beat yourself up over this. We can't help him. But, we can still help Malik. You can still honor Toicha by protecting his flesh and blood." Yoruichi hated seeing her former pupil like him. He had taken off his hat and was gripping his raggedy blond hair in frustration. Her words seemed to have helped some. His grip loosened and his hat returned to its respectful place on top of his head._

_His voice was hard and his eyes were slits, an expression the other two had never seen on him since when they were set up by Aizen and sentenced to rot in the Nest of Maggots and/or banished from Soul Society. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do. We gonna honor Toicha's last request to us and train Malik. The boy's got the makings of a natural in him. Not one person from Soul Society will step into this house. No one is going to get Malik."_

_Yoruichi and Tessai both felt the steel and malice in his voice. It was very unlike him to get so angry. However, they found themselves in complete agreement with his declaration._

_(End Flashback)_

It'd been almost three weeks since than and they have stopped eleven different Onmitsukido teams from even getting near the shop. They intended to keep it that way.

"OH CRAP!"

Urahara snapped his head towards Malik's shout and about shit his pants.

Malik was practicing the incantation and said the entire thing perfectly. However, he felt this strange instinctual guidance on what to do with body movements. To him, he was just doing it out of curiosity, but this...this was insane.

Urahara had to shunpo as fast as he could to give the hadou spell plenty of room. The blast was enormous. In fact, he'd go as far as to say its the biggest he's ever seen. The sokatsui must've been atleast fifty yards wide. The blast tore across the landscape until it eventually hit the wall.

Normally, the spell would've ceased than, but something was wrong. Sooo wrong.

"Urahara-taicho, how the hell do I stop this thing?" Malik screamed over the loud roar of the blast. Yoruichi and Tessai both heard the noise and quickly came down to investigate. They too, nearly lost control of their bowels when they saw the blast. Tessai probably fractured his jaw when it dropped to the floor so hard. Yoruichi shunpo-ed over to Urahara who was still standing there, stunned.

"Kisuke, what the Hell is going on!" she all but yelled into his ear. He jerked away at the roar by his head and finally seemed to come back into the world of the living.

"He was only suppose to be practicing the incantation for Hadou #33 Sokatsui!"

Yoruichi's eyes widened. 'No way. That sokatsui is unbelievable!'

"Yoruichi-taicho! How do I stop this thing?" Malik yelled, getting the woman's attention. The blast became, technically, a beam when the ground underneath Malik's left foot gave way and he slipped. His palm went upward, dragging the monstrous sokatsui up with it along the wall and ceiling.

"Just focus on controlling the flow of energy moving through your body, Malik! Right now, you've got the flood gates opened! You need to close them again! Feel the energy within you and picture it calming down!"

Malik, managed to bring the beam back towards the wall and started to try and focus on his energy. He didn't mean for it to be this big..heck, he half expected it to blow up in his face. He didn't know what it was he was feeling or actually what he was doing. After several agonizing moments, he finally started to feel his spiritual energy flowing through his body.

He slowly pictured his energy as a large river flooding out of the rivermouth. Steadily, he imagined the raging rapids idling down to just a strong current. Than, a fast, low river. Though he physically couldn't see the sokatsui blast weakening, he felt the flow of energy become more calm and gentle. Eventually, the blast ceased.

Nervously, he opened his eyes and saw that there wasn't a death beam coming out of his palm anymore. He released his grip on his 'gun' hand and fell shakily to his knees.

"Malik, are you alright!" Yoruichi yelled. She came to his sides and visually checked him for any injuries. The amount of stress from something like that could be very taxing on one's body.

"Yeah," he responded. "I just can't stand...my legs are..shaky...too excited.." He gave her a nervous smile and a thumbs up.

"Hahaha," she chuckled as she rubbed his hair. "You had me worried there. I think that's enough kido for one...or two weeks."

His head dropped in slight embarrassment. "Yeah, I think you're right."

"Come on," she said, picking him up to his unsteady feet. "Let's call that lunch. It's already noon."

"Right," he responded. "Lunch sounds good."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hey everyone. That's it for chapter 6. I know I didn't get to introduce the Privaron Espada and I'm sorry. I promise I'll get them in the next chapter or two. I just had to get this chapter out now because I've got two very packed weeks of school left before I'm finally off for Christmas break, which is a WHOLE MONTH! YEAH!

I've given some hints in this chapter about future events. I wonder if you noticed them. I feel like the Riddler in Batman: Arkham City, which is a kickass game that going to win Game of the Year come December 10th. There's no one close to it.

Also, please don't give me any crap about 'oh, so and so didn't have them as fraccion,' or 'so and so's tattoos was actually (insert area)'. It's called an AU for a reason and I didn't have the time or desire to copy the canon down to the mark. Let me just flex my imagination here folks.

Anyway, please read and PRETTY PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW! Don't expect another chapter until near Christmas, or probably before Christmas. I'm sorry but you're just gonna have to wait till than.


	8. Chapter 8

A Child's Journey

Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hey ya'll, I'm almost finished with my finals in college. So can't wait to have a whole month off from school. Drawing I has been working me to death lately, with all of the still-lifes and self-portraits I've had to draw these past two weeks. Anyways, I've had to force myself to make this chapter longer than some of the others because I was just impatient and wanted to introduce another oc character who'll play a big role in the story, as well as finally get some of the privaron espada in here like I promised darkmachines earlier, although they will just be announcements. I'll get more in-depth with them later.

Also, I've got some Halibel-fluff here just cuz it seemed like it would be fun. I mean, if her and her fraccion are going to be main characters, than I've got to write about them fighting, right?

Please enjoy and review! I don't own Bleach or the canon characters.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Malik! We went easy on you last time! If you don't push yourself, you're never going to land a scratch on me!"<p>

Malik answered Yoruichi's call with a slash towards her midsection. His movements were terribly hampered by the extremely heavy yet flexible weight vest he was wearing. This was no ordinary weight vest, of course. Urahara and Yoruichi both designed it as a sleeveless vest that consumed his spiritual pressure, much like Kenpachi's eye patch. With more than half of his spiritual pressure drained away, his speed, strength, and reflexes were reduced dramatically, much to his annoyance.

It all started out as a surprise gift Yoruichi said she had for him. He was completely unaware of what she was truly up to. She handed him the vest with nothing but a smile for him to go on and he had obediantly put it on. Instantly, he felt heavier, like he had the king of all hangovers. She than went to explain to him its purpose. She said he was to wear it at all times, as part of his strength and speed training.

Worst part of all was that now when he was fighting her, her now-far superior spiritual pressure knocked his aside, making him as helpless as a fish out of water. A fish that the were-cat intended to play with before picking apart piece by piece.

He raised his blade up to block a kick from her, but the force sent him careening towards the ground. Before he impacted the ground, she appeared beneath him and drove her knee into his back. There was a loud pop, but she didn't let up. Grabbing him by his hand, she swung him around and threw him into some rocks, effectively destroying the landmass.

When the dust cloud dispersed, Malik was standing on his own strength, rubbing his lower back. Yoruichi smiled at his resilience. Even with the vest making him as weak as a tenth seat, he was still handling himself pretty well. She shunpo-ed into him, driving her elbow into his gut and knocking the wind out of him. He fell to his knees wheezing but she didn't give him the chance to get his breath back. She threw an uppercut that had enough force to send him off his knees and halfway to the ceiling of the training facility.

She appeared above him and did a front flip, kicking him back to the ground. He seemed to be on a one way trip to pain but he flipped over to put his feet underneath him and land smoothly on the ground. At first, the woman thought he had got his wind back in between the beating but when he went to a knee again, holding his free hand to his diaphram, she saw that he was still having trouble breathing.

"Even with your powers drastically weakened, it impressive none the less that you're still up, Malik."

He finally seemed to have gotten his air back cuz he stood up and readied his zanpakutou, Gabriel. The long, thin blade started glowing a mixture of white and blue along its length. His reiatsu started to rise again, though at a slower rate than it would have normally. Still, it didn't stop till his strength had built up to that of a lieutenant's. Yoruichi smirked, obviously loving the strength he possessed and the fighting spirit he had in him.

"Good, Malik. Very good. Keep fighting. Don't give in to the pain; rather embrace it. You've still got plenty in you. That's good, this training session will not end until you land a hit on me."

If it were anyone besides Yoruichi, Malik wouldn't have been too worried, but sadly this WAS Yoruichi, the Goddess of Flash, the woman who possessed a mastery of shunpo far greater than any being alive. He knew this wasn't going to end anytime soon.

**'That isn't hopelessness I hear, is it?'** Gabriel mused.

'Not a chance in Hell, Gabriel. You know that.'

**'Sometimes your thought process makes me wonder.**'

'You shouldn't worry yourself to death. You're flattering me.'

He had gotten to know his zanpakutou, Gabriel, alot lately, often visiting his inner world either purposefully or whenever he was asleep. He could usually tell if his spirit was in a bad or good mood by the change of scenery of the inner world. If he was happy, than the large forest world was calm and peaceful, with a full overcast of grey, moving clouds and a medium wind. If he was mad or upset, it'd be like when they first fought: raining cats and dogs, hurricane force winds, tornadoes, lightning storms, and trees flying through the air.

There, they would talk and discuss things with each other, albeit he usually already knew everything about Malik, from his birth, to his girlfriend who he kept away from, but not unknown to, his old man who'd have been begging for great grandchildren, to his conversations with the other spirit. So far, Gabriel had no beef with IT, seeing as to how it was so forceful in making Malik grow stronger with his own zanpakutou first.

Through their conversations, he felt himself and Gabriel grow closer as each of their powers grew. When it would reach certain points, his spirit would reveal a little bit more about himself, showing him new techniques, the strengths and weaknesses of his shikai, the purpose of the other two zanpakutou that were always hung behind his back, and lots of other things. Though he was becoming closer to his spirit, his cold eyes, that evil smirk, and the way he always spoke never ceased to put him somewhat at unease. Still, it was something that he would eventually come to terms with.

Now, back to the real world, they were still discussing their current situation. They'd been at it for atleast three hours now, so Malik was milking this brief break the most he could.

**'Don't confuse what I said with actual concern, Malik. You've still a ways to go before I show true worry over your well-being.'**

**'**Aw, and here I thought we were making a breakthrough.'

**'Oooh, sorry to shatter your rainbow, kid.'**

'Don't call me kid. I'm almost eighteen.'

**'Living for eighteen years doesn't make you a man.'**

'Whatever...so, what do you suppose we do about our Yoruichi situation? This vest is consuming our spiritual powers to a fifth of what it normally is. We'll never catch her going head on.'

**'When have you actually cared about adversity? Going head on is exactly what she wants us to do. This vest is meant to condition your body in strength, speed, reflexes, and endurance. Like running with a weight vest on.'**

'What are you saying?'

**'Simple. Toughen up and get over the limitations. You're meant to break through them and grow more powerful. She knows you'll never catch her with it on, but she wants to see you push yourself past your breaking point. She'll stop the training session whenever she feels enough is enough.'**

'Alright, I'm trusting you here.'

**'Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. She wants to see you grow stronger more than you know.'**

'I'm not going to ask for you to explain that.'

**'Here she comes.'**

True to his word, Yoruichi came straight at them. Malik went to strike her and was estatic to see his blade make contact and ..pass right through?

'What the Hell?'

**'Look out. It's an afterimage.'**

Sure enough, the image eventually disappeared right before his eyes. His eyes scanned all around him but Yoruichi was a slick one.

"Got'cha!"

He heard her yell but never saw the foot that connected with his jaw, fracturing it, and sending him flying across the field, yet again. He went and tumbled and bounced off of the ground atleast a dozen times before finally coming to a stop. Unfortunately, he came to a stop because there was a wall there. His body slowly peeled out from its indention in the wall and fell to the floor.

**'Get up, Malik. Try not to get yourself killed. Remember, there are two of us here.'**

"Right...don't get killed..Got it," he grumbled roughly. He stood up and popped his back a couple of times, resulting in several loud pops throughout his body.

"You're guard's down!" Yoruichi yelled as she came flying in with a punch. Malik somehow ducked under the blow, but she had responded with bringing her knee up, driving it into his chest, and knocking him once again into the nearby wall. As he was stuck there, Yoruichi went to town on him, punching his body hundreds of times within the span of ten seconds. Her arms were invisible as they moved with impossible speed, trying their hardest to put him out for good.

After what seemed like forever, she finally stopped. He managed to throw a glance towards her and saw that she was practicing shaking her hands. The wrapping around her fists were literally smoking from the friction of the flurry of punches. She was literally smoking hot.

That thought caused him to chuckle, of all things, and it didn't pass by Yoruichi. She took it as a hit to her pride and she turned her now fiery eyes on the boy still stuck in the wall.

**'Mmm, she's one hot mama when she's pissed.'**

'I'm going to pretend you didn't say that.'

**'I'm apart of your soul, Malik. If I'm thinking it, than you can't deny that you've thought it. I've seen through your eyes the way you've looked at her.'**

'Those were accidents! I have more respect for women than some spirits I know. And also, unless you've forgotten, I've got a girlfriend!.'

**'Who probably thinks you're either dead or far away.'**

**'**Just shut up! Yoruichi thinks I was laughing at her and I'm going to need all the help I can get. The sooner we get off this wall the better, cuz she's coming right for us!'

With the added strength from his zanpakutou refueling him again, Malik pulled himself off the wall, causing Yoruichi to stop walking towards him and opted for running.

"Just wait till I get my hands around your neck, Malik! We'll see who's laughing than!"

"Oh shit.."

* * *

><p>(Hueco Mundo)<p>

Aizen had just now concluding a meeting with, not the Espada, but rather the arrancar who use to be Espada but were replaced. The Privaron Espada. He had formed this group so the arrancar before him, all strong in their own right, wouldn't be demoralized with the loss of their positions and authority.

"So we are all clear than, about your positions? The Privaron Espada will still be able to have authority over the lesser numeros, but will have to follow the current Espada, Gin, Tosen, and myself if the situation calls for it."

"Hai, Aizen-sama," the several arrancars spoke out.

"Excellent," he responded with a smile. "As with your new positions, you will be assign new ranks as well. To give you some leadership, I will start first with the head of the Privaron, Skullak Tuma."

An arrancar, about the same height as Grimmjow, stepped up. He had short brown hair and blue eyes. His mask fragment was on his head. It looked like a broken gladiator helmet. When he approached Aizen, he respectfully kneeled.

"Skullak Tuma. Your new number will be 101. Where would you like it?"

"I would like to have it here," Skullak responded, pointing to the front left half of his neck. Aizen nodded and soon carved the triple digit into his neck.

"There you go. Please wait to the side."

"Hai, Aizen-sama." With no other words, Skullak Tuma stood beside the shinigami captain. Looking over the rest of the Privaron, his eyes met Cirucci's and he gave her a wink, forcing her to blush madly. Unaware or uncaring of the silent exchange, Aizen continued.

"If you all would kindly line up in the order I call your name in, than this will be over quickly. Your number is your rank." He pulled out a small list and read it out.

"102- Arturo Plateado  
>103- Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio<br>104- Remarri Seto  
>105- Cirucci Sanderwicci<br>106- Luppi Antenor  
>107- Gantenbainne Mosqueda<br>108- Mosinguelle Tunichi  
>109- Aaroniero Arruruerie."<p>

As he called them out, each one organized themselves in line correctly and one by one, they got their tattoos. Two of them were actually new arrancars. Remarri Seto and Mosinguelle Tunichi were created weeks ago. They were much stronger than the average numeros, but believed to not be as strong as the current Espada, so Aizen granted them positions in the Privaron.

Remarri had short blond hair cut in a Marine military style close-crop. He was a very muscular individual who stood about 7'2 and had a Texas accent, to the amusement of some of the Privaron. However, whatever amusement they found in his voice, they kept to themselves. One numero was unfortunate enough to discover his short temper and raw strength. The arrancar openly mocked his Texan accent, and in response, Remarri knocked his head clean off his shoulders with a punch that looked like he held back.

The other newcomer was Mosinguelle Tunichi. His ethnic background was unknown, but his name sounded closest to Italian. However, he acted anything but Italian. He was a pale, tall man, about 6'4. He was cut to the bone and had a huge upside-down triangle-shaped patch of short hair on his chest. He had long black hair and a long tongue that could reach mid-chest if he tried. He looked very sickly; aside from the pale skin, he had veins coming through the skin all over his body. No one knew anything about his fighting abilities, but the reiatsu he could put off deserved more than the 108 rank.

"And to conclude this meeting, I'm making the Captain of the Exequias, Rudobon Chelute."

Skullak watch with the most happiest expression out of anyone else as his long time friend received his title.

"I'm sure you all will make me proud. As such, I have complete faith that you will not disappoint me. This meeting is now dismissed." With that, he left them all to have another meeting with the other Espada in a couple of minutes.

* * *

><p>Apache was lounging in her and the others' room, passing by the time with some exercises while Sun-Sun was on the balcony reading a book. Reading had quickly become one of her favorite hobbies after Aizen had shown them the library in Los Noches. The large room was filled from top to bottom with literature from both the Soul Society and the World of the Living, ranging from practical books(files and books on captains, their divisions, and the general history of the Soul Society) to leisure ones(fiction, nonfiction, biographies, newspapers, etc).<p>

In all fairness, Tosen was the one who suggested the idea, claiming that it could only be beneficial to the arrancars since they don't have much to do besides train and fight. Aizen sympathized their daily routines and agreed to it. It took them a few weeks, but now, they have stockpiled over five thousand pieces of literature.

Sun-Sun was quickly drawn to the teen novels under the non-fiction genre. There were so many different kinds to choose from, all being so diverse, so strange. Especially the books from the world of the living. The humans, being so weak and defenseless, seemingly made up for their lack of power with their expansive imagination and surprisingly fantastic stories.

When her eyes met the end of the page she was on, she automatically flipped to the next side and continued reading. Her current book that she was reading was called Amazonia, by James Rollins. From what she's read so far, an expedition team sent to make contact with villages' shamans disappeared for a long time. Everyone considered them dead, until a man from the expedition walk into a village. He originally had one arm after losing the other to a bullet, but when he came out, he had both his arms.

'He must have some hollow powers to him and managed to regrow his lost arm,' she originally thought. However, as she had continued reading, her idea was wrong as his arm regrew by some mysterious means not yet discovered. She was hooked on it when she found that out.

"Sun-Sun, you've been reading that book for hours. Why don't you do something else. Wanna go beat up some weaker guy? Hey, I know, Lilinette's suppose to be getting out of Szayel's madhouse today. Wanna go help her get back into the groove of kicking Stark's ass?"

Sun-Sun's eyes never left her book and responded with a "nah.." Apache was put out by her instant denial.

"Man, there's not much to do around here." Griping, she plopped onto the bed with her arms spread out. She looked up at the white ceiling, which match the three bedroom room's white floor, white walls, white columns, and white door. All the white was so nauseating and disorienting. Atleast her bed wasn't white. No, her bed was her favorite thing in the room, because the covers and pillows were blue, like her hair.

With her bed's quiet, intoxicating voice telling her to lie down cuz she's been working too hard, she crawled up to her pillows and snuggled there. She'll just sleep her boredom away. As she closed her eyes, her door swung open and the not-to-quiet Mila-Rose bulldozed through the room's serenity and peacefulness.

"Man, this sucks. I've been all over Los Noches, but there just aren't hardly any cute guys. You'd think that there'd be some, but there just aren't. There's probably two or three out of the whole arrancar army."

She saw her horned friend trying to sleep peacefully on her bed. A huge predatory grin crept onto her face as she eyed the unsuspecting deer. She looked over at Sun-Sun and brought her finger to her lips.

"shuuuussshh..."

Sun-Sun just watched with amusement as the lioness crept towards their sleeping companion. Mila was on all fours, making sure each step was soundless. When she finally got to the edge of the blue bed, she pounced her prey.

"Yiahhh!"

She soared over the length of the bed just as Apache's eyes snapped open. The girl didn't have time to react as the larger female landed right on top of her. The next event was truly a sight to behold. When Mila had landed on Apache, the smaller arrancar girl reacted like a cat with a bottlerocket tied to its tail. There were fists swinging and hands clawing and pulling hair. Amidst the yelling of curses and profanities, Sun-Sun had placed a marker in her book so she wouldn't lose her page and walked towards the bathroom.

"Mila, you psychobitch! I'm gonna kill you!" While Apache was all frowns, Mila-Rose's grin was happy with the thrill of putting effort into pinning her prey. The lioness hunter in her was very happy.

"Yeah, keep it up, Apache! You know I love to work for my meal."

A huge tick mark popped out on her forehead, as well as a tiny blush, showing Apache's frustration and apparent interpretation. "Just cuz I'm a deer doesn't mean you can pounce me like this. Lions hunt gazelle and zebras anyway."

"Gazelle. Zebra. Deer. They're all the same to me. Besides, I've got to take my boredom and frustrations out some way, and Sun-Sun's never much fun. Your reactions are the best."

"Bitch!"

As they went on, none noticed Sun-Sun come out of the bathroom with a bucket. She quietly watched on as the other two girls completely ignored her. Sighing, she placed her thumb and index to her mouth and blew a sharp whistle. The noise gained the two girls' attention. Apache had a vice grip on Mila's left wrist and the other hand was precariously holding her top. Mila was straddled on top of Apache and she had the arm to the hand gripping her top pretty much pinned while her other was holding down the deer girl's opposite shoulder. Without warning, Sun-Sun threw the bucket's content onto them.

* * *

><p>The entire fortress of Los Noches was suddenly shakened by the ear-splitting scream of both Apache and Mila-Rose. Just coming out of an Espada's meeting, Halibel could easily hear the shrilling screams. Shaking her head in obvious annoyance, she sonido-ed to her fraccions' room. Appearing at the door, she let herself in and saw an innocent looking Sun-Sun sitting on the balcony, reading a book. Strangely, the other two were nowhere to be seen. A 'Hello, Halibel-sama,' and a nod pointed her towards Apache's room.<p>

When she walked in, her eyes widen at the sight she saw. There were two figures shivering from inside the bed's blue blanket. However, the faces of Apache and Mila-Rose drenched wet and their eyes wider than headlights revealed who they belonged to. Mila-Rose was too shaken up to saying anything comprehensible, but Apache kept studdering something over and over again.

"C-c-c-cold-cold-cold...C-c-cold wa-wa-wa-wat-ta-ta-ta-ter...Ha-ha-hali-ba-ba-ba-bel-sa-sa-sa-sama.."

Their eyes never shrunk, but they looked from Halibel's to Sun-Sun. The Espada put two and two together in a second. "I've got to have the most disfunctional fraccion group in all of Hueco Mundo."

"Halibel-sama," Mila-Rose said, quivering. "We were just playing and Sun-Sun...(shivers loudly) threw a bucket of c-c-cold water on us...I hate cold water."

"Hmm, indeed she did. No need to be complaining though. It's just water."

"BUT IT'S FREEZING COLD!" blurted Apache. Realizing her seemingly disrespectful tone, she bowed her head rapidly. "I'm sorry...Halibel-sama."

Halibel nodded and looked over her two girls again, taking in how miserable they were. "Sun-Sun," she called calmly over her shoulder. The third arrancar girl got up nervously. "I think more baths are needed. Please bring two buckets this time."

Behind her sleeve, Sun-Sun's grin was a mile wide, as Mila and Apache were horrified. Too horrified to even object. What had they done wrong? Now a bucket for each of them?

Not a minute later, Sun-Sun reappeared with a bucket in each hand, giving the two fraccion girls an uncommon glimpse at their friend's face. Besides the three pink dots under her right eye, her skin was flawless. She had a small nose and mouth with thin pink lips centered perfectly on her face. She was stunningly beautiful for someone who hid her mouth behind her sleeve all the time.

"The water was still running cold, so it didn't take long, Halibel-sama."

Halibel nodded and grabbed the two buckets.

* * *

><p>Avirama Redder was still pissed about his loss to Apache a month ago. However, she was more skilled than him than and there was nothing he could do about it. As for the future, he would train till his strength grew. He would make sure that the next time he faced that deer woman, he'd be standing over her bloodied form.<p>

"Yeah, just you wait, Apache. You're gonna get yours coming soon."

Ggio Vega sonido-ed underneath him and fired another cero up at the released Avirama. "Quit daydreaming, Redder! You're never gonna get better if you don't focus on your training!"

Redder threw a murderous glare at his fellow fraccion. "Shut the fuck up, Ggio. I don't need you to tell me how to train!"

The smaller arrancar wasn't intimidated by the death glare, but more or less annoyed by Avirama's stubborness. 'Idiot. He's impossible to train with!' He fired another pair of ceros up at the bird, causing him to evade and stumble onto something else. He was looking through the balcony door of Halibel's fraccions' room. And what he saw made his heart stop.

* * *

><p>The three girls couldn't believe their eyes. Halibel had just tossed the icy cold water from one of the buckets at Sun-Sun, catching her completely off-guard.<p>

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! COLD! COOOOLLLDD!" she screamed. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm her body up as she shook like a leaf on a tree. There was a rattling sound coming from her mouth as her teeth clacked rapidly against each other. The cold water soaked her entire arrancar uniform. Unfortunately, since it was white, her body began to show through, revealing her black underwear and black, laced top. Apache and Mila-Rose somehow blushed and felt warm from the sight, despite their freezing bodies. Who would've guessed that Sun-Sun had a decent rack on her.

The next thing Halibel did was a dream come true, for boys and girls alike. She took the final bucket and lifted it above her head. Her fraccions' eyes widen as she slowly poured the freezing water onto her face and body. The three girls, and even Avirama from outside, watched the water caress every bit of Halibel's incredible body. Her hair became flat against her head and her breasts began to show through her white sweater top, showing round, gradually hardening nipples poking into the fabric.

Unknowing of what they were doing at the moment, they continued watching as the water soaked everybit of her abs, back, and then work its way down into her lower garments. A sharp gasp from Halibel was followed by a slight moan of bliss as everybit of her body was soon covered in the cold water. Slowly, she raised her heavy eyelids up, giving each of her fraccion a short look of embarassment. Behind her collar, she actually blushed a bit.

"There..now we're all soaked in freezing water. No one has room to complain." As she turned around, her fraccions' eyes uncontrollably followed her back down to her toned, firm rear that was now exposed through the fabric, and they saw that their mistress was wearing a black g-string.

* * *

><p>Avirama Redder had seen alot of battles and fights and blood&amp;gore, but none of that had ever made him stop in awe like the sight of the Primera pouring cold water over her body did.<p>

"humina..humina..humina..humina.."

"CERO!"

Redder didn't recognize Ggio earlier shouts, nor his cero shout. The next thing he felt was searing pain all throughout his body as he fell to the ground, blacking out before hitting.

* * *

><p>Mila-Rose, Apache, and Sun-Sun had soon stopped shivering after their mistress left to her room right across from theirs. They weren't shivering cuz apparantly all of them were feeling incredibly warm throughout their body from the little display Halibel put on for them.<p>

"Wow..." Apache wanted to slap herself after letting that slip out for anyone to grab. The last thing she needed was Mila-Rose accusing her of being a lesbian, but after seeing Halibel's body, she didn't even know if she'd be able to deny it now.

"Indeed."

Both Mila and Apache were surprised to hear that come from Sun-Sun, who'd started shivering again. "Halibel-sama has us beat when it comes to beautiful bodies. She's a million times ahead of me." She had accidentally put a bit of sad jealousy into her tone, betraying her stoic face. But Mila caught it.

"Come on, Sun-Sun. You've got a great body. I don't see why you hide it." She gave Sun-Sun her a smile to reinforce her statement. The smile made her blush again, but thankfully her arm sleeve hid it.

"Well, I'm freezing right now, so I'm going to go change." Sun-Sun walked off, leaving Apache and Mila alone soaking wet in the bed. Not good..or is it?

* * *

><p>(World of the Living)<p>

The girl was so excited as she made her way towards the street her boyfriend lived on. She was very concerned for her Malik when she heard that he was extremely sick. Unfortunately, neither of his two friends knew much about it either. His grandpa just contacted the school and said that he was down with a series of different ailments. She had tried to visit him that day but his grandpa Toicha urged her to not come in as Malik was very contagious. Put out, she dropped off some incense that she normally used to help herself feel better and asked him to tell Malik she loves him.

However, it's been nearly a month now and Fran hasn't seen him since, mainly because she was visiting her adoptive grandparents in Tokyo for that entire time. This was the first day she was back and she wasn't going to be deterrred this time, even if his grandpa told her no. She'll run him right over if she had to.

As the tall girl, probably 6'2, made her way down the street, a couple of guys walking past her whistled to her. "Hey, pretty girl," said a short lanky kid. He would be the first to suffer. She threw them a 'fuck-off' glare but they weren't scared. His slightly taller companion, one would looked like a greaser, minus the jacket and shades, was practically unclothing her with his eyes.

"Come on, baby. Why don't you come with us? We'll show you a good time."

A large tick mark popped on her forehead, but her long, white hair obscurred its view as her bangs fell over half her face and over part of her chest. Too bad for them. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing a sharp pair of crimson. Though her murderous intent was choking the air, she decided to play along with them for fun. She walked towards them, her long legs striding in front of each other.

"Now what good time would you be willing to show me?"

Seeing that she wasn't rejecting them as other girls have done, their courage got a little bit stronger.

"Well, there's this pretty cool club that's open every night, but our brother's the bouncer and he lets us in. You ever been clubbin'?"

She smirked and gave a little chuckle. "Why, yes, actually. I have _clubbed_ before...but I doubt it's the same thing you're talking about." Without warning, she brought her right leg up and Spartan kicked him in the chest like Leonitus did in '300'. The blow sends the shorter boy flying across the sidewalk about thirty feet before a mailbox attempted to stop him. He took it out in the process and he was unconscious in a pile of letters.

She turned to the taller boy who was too stunned by the move. "Doesn't your friend know that breaking a mailbox is a federal offense," she practically purred. She grab the boy by his shirt collar and picked him up over her head. "Get lost."

With that, she reared him back and threw him towards his friend. Seeing the fun was over, she huffed and continued walking towards Malik's house. 'Weak assholes.'

That was something her Malik wasn't, and she loved that. He was probably the most underrated guy in the school, opting to be the nice guy who'd protect himself and his friends if the occassion arised. He would never start any fights, but by God he'd finish them.

He'd first gotten her attention when he was walking by a couple of guys who were making sexual references towards her. He didn't even know her at the time but he still stopped and told them to shut-up. She was subtly watching from her locker and witnessed one of the guys try to shove him, but couldn't even make Malik budge, despite his smaller size. He'd grabbed the guy's wrist and twisted it like a pretzel behind the back, kick behind the dude's knee, bringing him down a notch, and rapped him twice across the head. The guy was out before he even hit the floor.

The other three guys 'tried' to make Malik pay but he easily disposed of them as well, suffering just one punch to the arm in the process. The principals escorted him and the boys to their offices and suspended them for five days. Feeling grateful and also very interested in him, she went to his house and thanked him. They'd hit it off immediately, with some help on his part from his grandpa.

From that day, they had spent everyday together, talking and hanging out and eventually dating. As far as she was concerned, he was the only guy in Karakura that was worthy of her heart, unlike some immature or lustful adolescents. He was strong, kind, selfless, handsome, etc. He was the whole package and she would be loyal and loving to him as long as he returned it.

'Just wait another minute, Malik. Your Fran's almost there.'

As she had just thought that, she turned onto Malik's street but stopped. Malik's entire house was gone. There was nothing there except some ashes. She looked at the street sign to check if she was on the right street and saw that she was. She walked over to their neighbor's house. Maybe the old, nice lady would know what happened and where Malik and his grandpa were staying now.

Walking up her porch steps, the old lady of interest was just opening the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Koji-sama."

The old lady turned around and saw the brown skinned girl standing on her steps and instantly recognized her. "Ooh, Fran-chan, dear. I haven't seen you in over a month. How've you been?"

'Polite as ever,' Fran thought. "I'm well, Mrs. Koji-sama. I've been out of town lately and this was the first day I've been back. May I ask what happened to Toicha-sama and Malik-kun's house?"

Worry gripped her when she saw the old woman's face cringe. It'd looked like all the happiness in the world just left her. "Fran-chan, their house burned down a couple of days ago. No bodies were found, but neither Malik-san or Toicha-sama have been seen or heard of since."

At that moment, Fran's entire world was shattered. Her eyes widen and she instantly fell till her butt was sitting on her hills. She clutched her chest as a searing pain erupted inside of her. For a moment, it felt as if her heart had stopped beating. Tears started flowing from her eyes at a faster rate, but she couldn't sob or anything. She couldn't find any words to say.

Immediately when she had collapsed, Mrs. Koji rushed to her side and embraced her. "Dear, Fran-chan. Fran-chan, be strong now. I can't imagine how you must be feeling now. You and Malik were very close, weren't you?"

A rapid nod of the girl's head was the only answer she could get. "It's okay to mourn, Fran-chan. If you don't, it'll just build up till the dam bursts. But still, the rescue crews searched through it all and found no bones or anything. It's possible they're just out of town. Maybe they went to one of the cities to find a better hospital. Toicha did say Malik was badly sick."

Fran shook her head, refusing to sob out loud. If she did, she doubted she would ever be able to stop. Instead, she just let the tears flow quietly down her cheeks and onto her white, short-sleeved blouse. However, Mrs. Koji's words did help. Maybe they were away and the house burned down from an electrical problem, or maybe arson. It's happened before.

'My Malik-kun..Toicha-sama...I pray that you two are alright.'

"Fran-chan, I'm sure that's what it is. You want to come in? I'll fix you up some tea if that will help."

Fran declined politely. "No..no, it's okay, Mrs. Koji-sama. I'll manage. I'll just make my way to back to my house."

'I can't call it home. Home is where the heart is, so that makes Malik my home.'

When her legs' strength recovered, she ran off down the street. She didn't want to go to her house. She couldn't go to Malik's home for an obvious reason. So she made her way to the only place she could think of where she knew she would be alone: the park. It was the spot of their first date. There, she would be in a peaceful, quiet, and isolated place.

Unknown to her, as she made her way through the streets, several figures were stalking her, watching her every move with dark, empty eyes.

* * *

><p>Malik was yet again knocked to the ground. His body has become use to this so in essence, the pain isn't as bad as it once was.<p>

POW!

Yoruichi's straight connected with his nose as he had just gotten to his knees. The blow sent him skipping across the rocky ground like a stone on the water. He stopped his tumble by stabbing the ground with Gabriel, although the force was still enough to nearly jerk his arms out of their shoulder sockets. What was that about the pain isn't as bad? It still is.

Panting heavily, he builds up his spiritual pressure back up to a lieutenant's. It wasn't enough to do anything except keep her fists from breaking any bones or his zanpakutou.

**'Malik, you might as well just bend over for her. You've basically given up.'**

'What else can I do? She's too fast! There's no way I can beat her.'

**'I've already explained this to you. You aren't meant to win this time. The sooner you accept that, the sooner this will end.'**

'So, just go all out than? Give it everything I got, and if it's not good enough, than go down swinging.'

**'Exactly,'** Gabriel said.

No matter how much he agreed with his zanpakutou, he couldn't find it in himself to accept defeat, even if he gave it his all. 'I'm sorry, Gabriel. But I just can't do that. I just have to give it more than my all!'

**'If that is how you feel, then show me. Have faith in me and I will give you all the power I'm capable of right now. I will have faith in you to give it more than 100%.'**

"Yeah, let's do this."

Malik took his stance and felt a surge of power flow into him from his zanpakutou. The power kept coming, never slowing down. It felt amazing, despite having the vest on. Yoruichi smirked and her reiatsu started gathering towards her. She held out her right arm and clenched it into a fist. The air within the dome became as heavy as lead as the two warriors' spiritual pressure grew to insane heights.

What looked like lightning started shooting out of his mentor's arms and shoulder, making him gasp from the sudden explosion of reiatsu. The blast blew off her orange shirt, revealing the black, backless shirt that covered just her front and had a strap that went around her neck. She had no sleeves, save for some fist wraps.

"Feel honored, Malik. I've been practicing this technique in secret for a while, but I'll warn you. This is a dangerous technique. Though I haven't mastered it, I can say that I'm very close. Perhaps all it will take now is to pummel the crap out of you."

Malik was amazed at the spiritual pressure of the Goddess of Flash. It felt like a ton of bricks on his shoulders. However, with each passing second, that weight was getting lighter as his own spiritual pressure continued growing.

'Incredible, Gabriel. Imagine how strong we would be if we didn't have this vest on.'

'Indeed. The power of our bond and trust determines how powerful we become. The stronger the trust is, the stronger the being and his zanpakutou become. Needless to say, there is always a limit to how powerful we can become. As of now, I'm approaching my limit. This is it. Let's show her just what we can do.'

'You said it.'

In a flash of shunpo, both fighters disappeared, only to reappear with Malik's zanpakutou up against Yoruichi's forearm. There were signs of straining on both of their faces as each one fought for dominance. The reiatsu burst that erupted from their sudden contact shook the whole training room, causing rubble to fall from the walls and ceiling.

In another flash, they disappeared and went at each other another time, causing the entire room to tremble again. They broke off again and Malik sheathed his long zanpakutou and drew out his smaller twins. He began flooding as much reiatsu into the blades as he could till they were shaking violently in his hands. With a simple command, he unleashed the strongest attack he had.

"Beam of Judgement."

At those words, a massive beam of white, raw energy shot from his blades' tips, right towards Yoruichi. Surprised by the size of the attack, she reacted just in time to shunpo out of the way. When she reappeared, Malik swung his zanpakutous' tips in her direction, bringing the beam down upon her. Again, she shunpo-ed to get out of the way.

This cycle continued for another minute. Yoruichi was finding herself amazed by the storage of energy her student had. He has grown exponentially over the past month; a rate of growth she'd never seen before. When she reappeared, she used that free time to try to come up with a plan. 'I've got just seconds after reappearing before he brings that beam onto me again. If I wait for the last second and shunpo behind him, he will be completely exposed.

When she got done forming her plan, she waited till the beam was within feet of her and shunpo-ed a little ways behind Malik. His eyes widen when he noticed her advantage. As she rushed up to knock the stew out of him, he surprised her by tearing one of his zanpakutou from his beam and shot a smaller separate beam right at her.

She knew she wouldn't have enough time to get out of the way so she charged as much reiatsu and kido into her fist that she could in the time allowed. When the beam got right to her, she punched it, sending a blast down its middle. Malik brought his other zanpakutou together with his other one, reforming the large beam. The power of it was able to absorb her shunko blast. However, the explosion from when her fist had punched the beam was now blowing away. What Malik saw made his heart rate rise.

Using some sort of shield made of condensed reiatsu, Yoruichi was surfing along the length of his Beam of Judgement. He raised it up, but she continued to just ride it. The only though both him and Gabriel could get out was 'Son of **a Bitch.'**

The first thing to connect his Malik's jaw was Yoruichi's foot, followed through with the rest of her body. The blow knocked his head backwards and he inadvertently brought his beam up, causing it to rake along the ceiling. The blast left a huge trench along the wall and roof where it had traveled.

Yoruichi's foot had released all of her stored shunko when it connected and the resulting explosion sent Malik down, cratering the ground. She flash-stepped to where she was sitting indian-style on his stomach. She waited for him to get up but he never moved, cept for the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"It's about damn time, little Malik. Even with that vest on, you're one tough nut."

Seeing as he wasn't going to be moving on his own anytime soon, she slung him onto her shoulder and flash-stepped towards the ladder to call it a day. While she was going, she couldn't help but to give his butt a squeeze.

"Mmmm, not bad, Malik." She purred his name.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And that is the chapter. Okay, not as long as I had claimed it would be, if you were reading. As for me writing it, it felt like forever. I just had enough time to do this chapter cuz I've gotten ahead of schedule with my Drawing I projects. So did you like Fran? I promise, there's more to her than you can imagine. Malik and the others will have no idea either. I've already got a grand scene formed in my head. Oh oh oh, it's gonna be awesome. Besides Fran, let me know what you think about the two oc Privaron, given from the little description I'd made.

p.s. Yes, Fran's appearance resembles alot like that of Fran, the Vierra, from FFXII. Just shorten the hair about a foot or two(my Fran's hair goes to her lower shoulder blades), take away the bunny ears, and give her a different personality and tah-dah. I know I've used the same name, but I can't help but make her physically similar because tall, dark-skinned, built and beautiful are just my favorite physical likes in girls.


	9. Awakening the plot thickens

A Child's Journey

**Awakening**

**A/N:** Hello, everyone who bothers reading my story. I'm a bit let down by the smaller attention my story got with the last chapter. I thought I had done good with it, but apparently I went wrong somewhere. Also, like any author will tell you, the lack of reviews is a hard blow to my inspiration and morale. I'm accepting anonymous reviews in case anyone didn't know, so if you want your identity to remain a secret, that's no problem.

Anyways, in this chapter, the plot will speed up with the long awaited arrival of the unknown zanpakutou, as well as an unfortunate, but necessary to the completion of this story, event will happen. As well as a confrontation between the Soul Society and Malik, which is overdue for him. These things, in turn, will set in motion a broader plotline.

I don't own Bleach or any of its canon characters.

Please enjoy.

Note: Malik's thoughts and voice..**Gabriel's thoughts and voice...**_**?'s thoughts and voice.**_

She was running wildly through the park, frightened, confused, and alone. Her chest felt like it was going to explode if she kept running at her current pace. But those things were after her. Whatever those things were, they weren't tiring like she was. She'd been running since she got into the park's forest.

She could barely hear their growling and screams over the sound of her heavy breathing, but she couldn't stop. Yet, the longer she ran, the more painful every breath of air she inhaled became. She looked down at her arm, wincing at the three gashes made by one of the monster's claws. She had killed it and another one with a series of strong punches and kicks, surprising even herself, but when a dozen more crawled out of a black spot in the air, she knew it was time to high-tail it. She looked behind her and saw that the distance she'd put between them was half of what it was the last time she looked.

'Malik, I wish you were here! I need your help! Malik!'

A clawed hand came out of nowhere and cut deep into her legs, tripping her. She let out a scream of pain as the claw wounds made her legs feel like they were on fire. She saw the beast that crippled her standing arrogantly over her. It was one of the most hideous things she'd ever seen. Its four limbs and large, white mask struck fear into her. It stared hungrily at her. Looking into its eyes, she felt all hope and happiness drain away.

'Malik!'

The beast raised its claws above its head, ready to give the killing blow.

'Malik!'

The claws come down and she sees the time of her and Malik flash before her eyes. With tears in her eyes, she cried out the name of the one person who she loved the most but would never see again.

"MALIK!"

She didn't feel it, but she lost consciousness.

"FRAAAAAN!" Malik yelled out as he woke up.

No one in the building had knew what hit them before a insane burst of reiatsu exploded from Malik. The blast was massive as Yoruichi, Tessai, and Kisuke were blown through the house to the outside. Seconds later, a huge pillar of blue reiatsu erupted from inside, quickly decimating the entire structure. The pillar was visible for miles by any being with spiritual pressure: some humans, soul reapers, and hollows.

Yoruichi had just recovered, as well as Kisuke and Urahara who were watching the sight with wide eyes.

"Kisuke, any idea what the hell's going on?" The 'former' shop owner was baffled but it hit him when a second scream from Malik confirmed what he believed.

"FRAAAAANN!" he roared out in a divine, monstrous voice. His voice caused goosebumps to pop up on all three present.

"Fran," Kisuke began. "When I had talked to Malik a couple of weeks back, he had mentioned that he had a girlfriend named Fran." Yoruichi felt a twinge of jealousy in her chest but that was the least of her problems. "He had always explained that they were very close and could sometimes tell whenever one another was in pain. Perhaps he's felt something bad has happened to her."

"Yeah, I think bad is an understatement!" she replied above the roar of his reiatsu release. "Tessai, see if you can restrain him! He probably has everyone within a mile knocked out by now."

"Very well, Yoruichi-sama." The others knew she wasn't exaggerating. The strength he'd shown when he had that vest on was surprising. However, here he had no vest, and his power was skyrocketing at a dangerous rate. It had easily surpassed what an average captain would be if he was pissed off. Tessai began a chant and upon hearing some of the words, she knew which one he was using. He was taking no chances and going for a very strong one. When he had finished he yelled, "_Bakudo #99 Kin_!"

Spiritual fabric appeared from below Malik, who was now levitating a few feet off the ground. His hair was being blown upwards and a bright blue light was the only thing that could be seen of his eyes. The fabric grabbed hold of his arms and tied them together behind his back. After that, four iron shafts appeared from the ground and the fabric anchored him to them. The process would have normally gone faster but Malik's immense energy pressure and strength was making the spell work for every bit of its progress.

After he had finished another chant, Tessai began the second phase. "_Bakudo #99 Part Two: Bankin! First Song!"_ The spiritual fabric from before started wrapping itself around Malik's body. The boy was straining to get free as much as he could, but he was sure to be no match for the highest level of bakudo. Eventually, the fabric had mummified him.

"Malik! Calm down! You're hurting alot of people with your spiritual pressure! Snap out of it!" Yoruichi had to yell all of what she said as the roar of his power kept growing louder with every passing moment.

"_Second Song_!" Tessai yelled. Dozens of large bolts appeared in the air and drove themselves through the fabric and into Malik's body. His blood curdling scream of pain froze Yoruichi's blood. She didn't want him to go through that. Tessai had not decided to use the final song to contain Malik. After all, Malik wasn't their enemy. He was just a boy who was sensing that his girlfriend was in danger. However, his uncontrolled spiritual pressure was hurting alot of innocent people.

"_Bakudo #79 Kuyo Shibari!"_ Kisuke yelled. Yoruichi hadn't heard him chant the phrase, probably due to her focus on Malik and Tessai. Immediately, eight black orbs appeared around Malik and started emitting vast spiritual pressure that could bring any foe to their knees. A ninth black orb appeared at the center of Malik's chest, completing the bakudo spell. There was no way that he'd be strong enough to break that spell.

Inside of Malik and his zanpakutou's inner world, the place was in turmoil. The once peaceful, grey clouds were now pitch black and swallowing up all of the sky. Massive twisters atleast a one-in-a-half miles wide scarred the forest world. The only thing that held its place was the massive tree that he and Gabriel were now perched on. Obviously, neither looked pleased.

"**I'm sorry I couldn't do more Malik. This is all the power I'm able to give you. The bakudo spells they've cast on us are amongst the strongest in existence."**

"Thank you, Gabriel. But, why are you so intent on helping me save Fran?"

The cloaked man stood rigid, his once impassive face actually showing frustration, and his evil smirk was now replaced with a twisted expression of pain and anger. "**Because, I'm apart of you. Together, we are one. Fran was the most important person on this planet to you. That makes her the most important person to me, aside from you."**

"Thank you, so much, Gabriel. You may have your creepiness, but you're apart of me, and there's no way for me to say how much it prides me that you are."

They stood in silence by one another. Feelings of betrayal and pain and sorrow commonly shared between the two. "**We just are not powerful enough to free ourselves, Malik."**

"_**No, you are not. Not by yourselves**_."

The two looked from one another, not knowing who just spoke. "_**Malik. Gabriel."**_

They both looked where the voice was coming from, back towards the main part of the tree. A cloud of swirling crimson and black energy was tearing into their inner world. Neither knew what it was. However, Malik had a feeling of who it was.

"**Who are you?"** Gabriel asked sternly.

The clouds solidified and manifested into a being unlike either had ever seen or imagined. The first things to appear were the feet, which were revealed to be smooth and scaled four toed feet that had a fifth claw on the heels. The body continued forming, the next area being the thighs, which were toned and scaled, but seemed to have some kind of natural, crimson-colored armor. The pelvic region formed, not showing any indication of being a male. Soon after, a seven-foot tail sprouted just at the top of the being's admittedly nice butt.

As the apparent 'she', came closer, her mid-driff and chest developed, showing them the toned stomach muscles and endowed breasts, atleast D's, but probably bigger, but they were covered with smooth scales as well. Her arms formed, showing them to be covered by the same crimson scales and armor. The hands, like the feet, were armed with some inch-long claws. There were also three horns, shaped like reversed claws, coming out of the back of her hands about four to five inches or so. Slowly, during all of this manifestation, Gabriel and Malik's faces were slowly turning red.

Finally, her head formed. Her face was well-built, giving it a reptile feature, but easily recognizable, among other things, as female. Her nose was a bit flatter, similar to a feline's. Her hair was long, silky, and black. Her ears were pointed and slanted backwards at the top; another feline quality. Her eyes were slightly slitted, but with human characteristics as well.

She had two horns, sprouting backwards from the back of her jaws and ending just beneath her ears. Everything about her eyes were amber, save for the slight black outline of the pupil and the black slits in their center. The yellow eyes boared into both of them from their 6'4 body.

"_**I...am the one who's tired of watching the men have all the fun, and tired of needlessly keeping you waiting**_," she responded playfully.

Now that she was materialized, her once monotoned voice was now femine. _**"Malik, I hope sometime in the future you will forgive me.**_"

"You're..the zanpakutou my grandfather passed on to me?" Malik asked, a little disbelievingly. She gave a feminine chuckled, all the while nodding.

_**"Yes, Malik, I am."**_

"What are you doing here?"

"_**I..have decided to help you two out. You both appear to be in a bind. I've come to give you my name. I believe you have earned it."**_

Both Malik and Gabriel's eyes bugged out of their heads. "For real?" Malik asked, unsurprisingly.

"_**Yes**_," she said, "_**but under three conditions."**_

"Name'em," he responded. Her eyes were deadly serious, unsettling him and even Gabriel.

"_**First, you better promise to use me often and bond with me...or I WILL kill you."**_Malik gulped and looked at Gabriel. He was shocked to see him nodding his head in understanding. When the zanpakutou caught his stare, he answered Malik's unspoken question.

"**Do not think I am all powerful, Malik. As you can see, together, we aren't strong enough to break these bondages. However, this one here," **he nods toward the dragon-like female**, "her power is beyond mine completely. I won't be able to stop her if she tried to kill you."**

"Fair enough. That one's a given," Malik said back towards the woman. She nodded in approval of his answer.

"_**Secondly, will you be willing to suffer beyond your imagination, if my power helps you break this bond?"**_

"The sooner I break out of here, the better chance I have of saving Fran!" he yelled. She closed her eyes and nodded again.

"_**And finally, do not hate Kisuke, Tessai, or Yoruichi. The spiritual pressure you two were letting off has very well knocked out or put into comas any human within a mile."**_

Malik looked kinda embarassed, and Gabriel shuffled his feet. "I understand. I promise I won't hate them."

"_**Very well. My name..is Dragira. The command for the shikai release is 'Awaken from your long slumber.' Call it out and steel yourself."**_

"Alright...Awaken from your long slumber, Dragira!" With that, his vision blurred and went dark.

He opened his eyes, not sure how long he was out. He tried to stand up but he yelped when there was nothing underneath him. He was back in the place when he had first heard Dragira's voice.

The whole area was just a swirling side-ways storm of red and black clouds. A lightning bolt danced across the vortex he was in. Its flash was bright enough to cause him to flinch and close his eyes. Opening them, he saw the female zanpakutou standing in front of him. Being just a few inches taller then him, she looked down at him from a slight angle. Her figure wasn't necessarily bigger than his, it was just taller. She was thin in width from back to front, save for her chest and rear area.

_**"Malik, I have chosen you. But, being that I am unique in my own way, you can only have me if you survive."**_

He blushed slightly at the sexual innuendo she made."What do I have to survive? Are we going to fight?" he asked. He had already fought his zanpakutou, several times now since their first meeting, and if what Gabriel said of her power blowing his out of the water was any bit true, he was sure his odds of winning were slim.

_**"Don't worry about fighting me, Malik. We can do that later. Don't worry about time, either. It is non-existant in here. Staying in here for as long as we will be will not make you anymore hurried to save Fran. But, to get out of here, you must survive our spirit bond."**_

"Spirit bond?"

_**"Yes,"**_she responded smoothly. _**"I am not your original zanpakutou. Therefore, our spirits are not of the same one, like your and Gabriel's. You must survive my spirit merging with yours. Normally, an average being wouldn't be able to contain two separate zanpakutou spirits, as the combined energy would tear their soul and body apart,"**_Slowly, Malik realized what she meant.

_**"After my first master died, I was alone,"**_ she continued._** "Since than, many have held me in their hands, used me in battle, praised my blade's strength and sharpness, but none have been strong enough for me to consider giving my name. So, after being used and discarded so many times, I went to sleep. However, each time someone new used me, I would wake up to study them. If I didn't approve of them, than I went back into my slumber and they used me till they either died or got tired of me. I was just awaken recently, about two months ago..when your grandfather got in the habit of hitting you on the head with me."**_

He instinctively rubbed an imaginary knot on his head. Yeah, he remembers Toicha beating him with her blade. 'That old turd. Wait till I see him next time.'

_**"Needless to say, I thought someone had found me and tried to talk to me. I studied your grandfather and was disappointed that I was woke up by another unworthy warrior. However, that's when I met you," **_she said, her eyes lighting up some._** "Since that first blunt smack on your head, I was intrigued. You had an undeveloped spiritual power, yet it was strong. And it belonged to a human, to my surprise. So I dug into your life, your memories, and I saw everything. Your orphaning, your grandfather, your lifestyle, your moral stances, your personality, your sense of protectiveness, your hatred of mindless violence and abuse."**_

When he looked downwards in slight embarassment, she lifted his chin up with her tail so she could stare into his eyes._** "I saw myself, Malik. That was when I started punishing your spirit those dozens of times, to see if I was mistaken, to see if you could handle it. And I'm glad to admit that you did not disappoint me."**_

She placed a clawed hand on his cheek. It felt surprsingly smooth and nice to him. It reminded him of a snake's skin. Obviously now, her scales weren't rough like he'd first thought. The corner of her mouth turned upwards._**"I'm glad you think so. Appearances are deceiving,**__**no?"**_

Malik tried to look away, but she held his head still with her tail's end and her hand, so she saw the little bit of embarassed look on his face. _**"I still can't understand why you get so embarassed when complimenting a woman. Normally, a man's mind is simple, but yours is just...strange.**_"

"Is not!" he said back defensively. She chuckled at his attempt to be defensive, but he had held back the tone that he normally would've used. No doubt because of who he was talking too. "I'm not that complicated. It's just that I'm different from people, I guess."

_**"That you are,"**_she said. _**"When you first saw Yoruichi naked, you were surprised, understandably. But...you saw her in a different light. You were so entranced by her eyes and face, and her body's beauty, that you didn't even notice she was naked till she said something. That's when you turned away like a gentleman, or a prudish child,"**_she said, amusement heavy in her voice. _**"THAT got you a definite plus. I also saw that you noticed me in the same way, but to a lesser degree. I'm sure it wouldn't have made a difference if my skin was as bare as hers was."**_

"Please, Dragira, you're giving me too much credit," he said. Honestly, was she trying to embarass him beyond all means or spoil him. He sure didn't need that. "I don't want to sound rude, but can we go ahead and do this. I know time doesn't move here, but it does in my mind."

She nodded slowly. _**"You're more afraid of failing others than you are of death. That was when I knew I had seen enough and picked you. Unfortunately, it was during a urgent moment. When you are ready, we will begin."**_

"I'm ready," Malik said, standing poised and awaiting of the Hell he was about to experience.

_**"Very well,"**_she said, and took him by his head. It looked like she was going to headbutt him, but her body had desolved into the red and black clouds again, which soaked into his skin.

At first, he felt nothing, but than a blazing fire erupted inside of him. He felt it, burning his innards. He tried to scream in pain, but only smoke and a few sparks of fire came out. Suddenly, red and black energy poured out through all of his body's holes, and I mean all of them. The chaotic swirl of energy soon became organized and started swirling around him in concentric, clockwise circles. Its swirls thickened until there was no sign of Malik, now cut off by the cocoon of energy. Only his yells of pain could be heard from inside.

From outside, a red set of eyes could just be seen opening up. Inside, Malik couldn't see what was happening to him. The heat inside of his body had already boiled the water inside of his eyes. His body writhed and contorted in a sickening way as the inferno inside him continued growing. His skin started turning red hot and even melted away. His screams of anguish were cut short by fiery spikes from the cocoon's walls impaling him in hundreds of places, everywhere from top to bottom.

He could feel her energy, her being, flowing into his body from the spikes that were serving as syringes. It was massive. His body wanted to explode. Still, somehow he was able to keep his mind focused on trying to contain her spirit. After several hours of this, the first of the flaming syringes began dissipating.

(Inner World)

Gabriel watched as Malik and his inner world started crumbling away. He stood and watched it all from atop their usual perch on the great tree that overlooked all of the inner world's forests. Up above the forest, the clouds were gone, replaced instead by the inside walls of a massive energy vortex. The walls of red and black energy stretched as far as the eye could see. However, they all converged into a center spot high above the great tree. The whole scene looked like how one would imagine a black hole opening up inside of a supernova's explosion.

"**Come,"** Gabriel spoke in his normal, soft and evilish voice. "**Is this your worst?"**

(Out of that Inner World)

Malik's pain intensified in the final hour as the final syringes disappeared. The cocoon was still around him, but he felt no more pain. Weakly, he opened his eyes..wait, his eyes? They had melted away. He blinked several times, each time thinking all he was gonna see was darkness. Sure enough, his eyes stayed unmelted. He frantically looked over his skin and didn't see any burn marks or anything, except for the scars he already had.

"What the Hell? My body is back to the way it was. How?"

_**"No, that's incorrect."**_

He jerked his head towards the sound of the voice and saw Dragira. Somehow, he hadn't noticed the cocoon dissipate. He was back inside the massive vortex. Dragira was floating in front of him, a smile adorning her half-human/ half-reptilian face.

"_**Your body is not back to the way it was. You aren't really considered human anymore."**_

"WHAT? Than what am I?" he asked.

Dragira walked up to him, causing him to stiffen up. She placed a smooth hand on his chest, which she was staring at. _**"You are not human. I know not a name for it, since my first master wasn't human, but you a hybrid. Both the living and the dead can see you, like when you were a human. However, you can now do all the things in this body that you could in your spirit body as well. If you want, you can make yourself invisible to the humans, but that is a technique I'll teach you later."**_

He was amazed. Stunned. Speechless. Confused. Curious. He couldn't decide which one. Dragira sensed all of these emotions and placed a hand on his cheek and got within inches of his face. He couldn't do nothing but stare into her amber eyes. _**"I understand you are feeling different emotions, but it's not bad. You get to have the best of both bodies. The only thing you won't miss is Urahara-sama hitting you in the head with the bottom of his cane. I promise."**_

Through all of the different things going through his head, he found her calm voice reassuring, despite what she had just told him. Instinctively, he leaned more into her hand, which was soon accompanied by a second hand on his other cheek. Gently, she leaned her head against his. _**"Just relax, Malik. Breathe in deeply with me."**_

Together, they took in a deep breath and released it. Malik felt some of his conflicting thoughts exit his body and mind with that breath. Dragira felt his body relax a little bit and prompted for them to do it again. Slowly, they inhaled the air between them and calmly breathed it all out. She felt more tension, both physical and mental, leave his body.

When she felt he was alright again, she put him at arms' length. _**"Better now?"**_

"Yes," he said, after a few moments. Who wouldn't be freaked out from discovering that they're not human anymore? "Thanks, Dragira."

_**"Now, before we leave, I want to teach you some new techniques. I think you'll like them very much. They...fit your character."**_

The hollow beast roared its last roar as a large spiked ball crushed its chest in. When the beast faded away, the chain to the ball shortened back to the hilt of a tall, chunky man. His captain, a short, black haired woman, finished off another pair of hollows, leaving just one left. It was the spirit of the young, beautiful girl lying dead to the side of them. Captain Soifon and Lt. Omaeda readied themselves to kill and purify this girl's spirit.

They had arrived after just coming out of the Senkaimon from the Soul Society. They had felt Fran's spiritual pressure being chased by a dozen more. Making with all haste, they were still too late as the hollows slew the girl. However, when they tried to devour her spirit, her chain of fate had rapidly ate away at itself and she had transformed straight into an Adjuchas hollow. Normally, that only happened to beings with high spiritual pressure or plus souls.

Even though it was just born, they knew it had great potential for destruction. The spiritual pressure of it was causing Omaeda's knees to quiver. Just as they were about to challenge it, a tremendous wave of reiatsu knocked them to their knees. They looked towards its direction and saw a massive pillar of reiatsu. The Adjuchas that was now Fran lifted her finger and opened a garganta.

"Hurry, Omaeda, it's getting away!" the petite captain ordered. With their shikais still released, they shunpo-ed on both sides of the hollow, but she punched the ground, creating an explosion that caused them to cancel their attacks. With their attacks halted, the hollow hopped through the garganta and escaped to Hueco Mundo.

With no more threats, Captain Soifon turned her attention to the pillar of light. "That's coming from Kisuke and Tessai's shop. What the Hell is going on?"

The three former captains' jaws dropped when Malik's figure exploded from all the bakudo spells. Tessai, Kisuke, and even Yoruichi's breaths were cut off from the vast spiritual pressure. The once blue pillar was now a mixture of red and blue.

"What..(gasp)..the hell...(gasp)...is causing this?" she panted. She looked up when the light started fading and trembled from what she saw. It wasn't much of a difference than before. Malik had his long zanpakutou, along with his smaller two on his back, but he was now holding the nameless zanpakutou from before. Now, instead of his eyes being just blue lights, one was red and slitted. Red lines, what resembled veins, glowed like neon lights throughout the underlayer of his skin. His scars glowed brighter than any of the lines though.

He was panting lightly, like he would be after running a marathon. Or like a hungry animal.

"What the hell? Is that what I think it is?" she asked in disbelief, staring at the unfamiliar zanpakutou. "It has to be.." At this point, she wanted to be very happy for him, but the current circumstances and the effects of his reiatsu was dulling that emotion. No doubt, any human within a mile of him would be dead now, if not in a coma.

"FRAAAAN!" he roared, then disappeared. Not a second later, a huge sonic boom from his speed knocked them to their butts.

'Unbelievable!' was the only thing he could think of to describe how he felt. He had felt tremendously powerful before with just Gabriel, but now with Dragira lending her power, there wasn't any word adequate enough to describe this feeling. It's like he had the power to destroy the world if he wanted to.

_**'You flatter me, Malik. It seems you aren't just like this to Yoruichi like I might've thought**_**.**'

**'Yes, he's just the ladies' man, is he not?**'

'I can feel two spiritual pressures up ahead. It feels like Soull Reapers, like Urahara and Tessai, but different.'

_**'Those are the reiatsu of two shinigami, I'm sure of it. But why are they near where you felt Fran was at?**_'

**'Malik, prepare yourself for anything you might see. I have a bad feeling about this.'**

_**'He's right. I can't feel any other being near them, yet their position IS where you felt Fran's spiritual pressure at.**_'

Inside, Malik had that sick feeling as well. The bond he usually felt with Fran was disturbing, to say the least. It felt like she was in constant pain, or hunger. She didn't even feel alive. He couldn't keep her waiting any longer. She needed his help. He used whatever reiryoku he couldn't contain in his zanpakutou to amplify his shunpo speed.

Houses became blurs. Everything was out of focused from his speed. Still, he could see what Dragira was talking about. His mentors were right to try and bound him. Bodies laid strewn out everywhere. 'I can't believe we did this.'

_**'It's mind blowing when you think back a couple of months. You were just like them.**_'

'Yeah, it's insane. But I've no regrets about any decisions I've made, save for not telling Fran the truth sooner.'

**'I was within you, albeit very weak. I can vouch that there was nothing you could do, Malik. Don't blame yourself.**'

_**'Gabriel speaks truth, Malik. I was there as well. We will not allow you to burden yourself with any guilt over what has happen or what might happen. The past is past. Worry about the present.'**_

_'_Thanks, both of you. We're here.'

He reappeared above the tree line just over the battlefield. He saw many craters, like something heavy impacted the ground. The first thing to catch his eyes were the two soul reapers. A large, fat man and a small, Japanese woman.

"Who are you?" she demanded. She kept a stern scowl on her face; meanwhile, her subordinate was breathing heavily on his knees from Malik's spiritual pressure.

"My name's not important. Where's my Fran!" Malik yelled. He wanted answers and he'll get...that's when he saw her. His Fran's bloodied form lying lifeless on the ground. "FRAAANN!"

His outburst caused a burst of reiatsu that caused Soifon to lose her breath. 'Such spiritual pressure! I've felt nothing like this from any of the other captains, save for the Sotaicho. Who the hell is this man?'

He shunpo-ed to where Fran now laid with a speed that she barely caught. He cradled her as if she was made of the most fragile glass. He placed his hand to her cheek and softly shook her for signs of life.

"Fran...Fran...please Fran...wake up. Wake up, Fran.." Tears started pouring out of his eyes, but they burst into flames before they even made it halfway done his cheeks. "Please, Fran...wake up for me..don't leave me alone..I'm sorry I left you alone..I promise I'll never do it again. Please, just wake up. Just show me your alive. Let me see your beautiful eyes. Let me hear your voice. Something, please!"

His tears started pouring out at a larger volume and it looked like he was crying fire. He ran his free hand through her long white hair. _**'Malik,**_' Dragira started, _**'I don't want to accept it anymore than you do..but she's gone. She's gone.**_'

Malik's thought process stopped functioning then. 'She's gone. She's gone. Gone. Gone.' He repeated her words in his head, slowly but surely processing them, double checking them, triple checking them. "She's gone. I was too slow."

He lifted her head and placed a gentle kiss on her lips and kept it there for what felt like forever to everyone else, including Kisuke, Tessai, and Yoruichi, who was both in danger of tearing up and wearing a ninja head cover to hide her identity from Soifon. Now just wasn't the time to reveal herself to them yet. Everyone's believed her to be dead, so might as well milk that advantage until the time was right.

Finally, Malik broke apart the kiss and gently sat her head down. Soifon, though, was still wanting his name.

"I asked for your name. Just who the hell are you?" Her voice was cold and heartless, despite his loss. He steadily got up on his feet, giving them a good look at the wings tattooed on his bare back. He turned around and started gathering his energy.

"Did you kill my Fran?"

By this moment, Omaeda was laid out from his spiritual pressure. Soifon couldn't really blame him. She was starting to wish that she had been a bit more sympathetic. However, her obstinate stubborness refused to let her apologize or even clarify the situation. "I asked for your name?"

"I am Malik," he responded, his body now like it was when he'd first released Dragira. Soifon felt a bit of fear when she looked into his bright red and blue eyes. She saw nothing but pure malice and death. "And I do not take orders from you, Soul Reaper. Now answer my question!"

She brought her Suzumebachi up. "If you disobey my orders, than obviously you are not of Soul Society. And if you raise your weapon at me, than you are an enemy of Soul Society."

His spiritual pressure spiked again, sending her to a knee. "Soul Society, huh? You all will pay," he promised. He sheathed his two long zanpakutou and brought out his smaller ones. Yoruichi saw what he was doing and tried to yell some sense into him.

"Malik, DON'T!"

He pointed his twin zanpakutou at Soifon and Omaeda. "_Beam of Judgement_!" The massive beams shot from his zanpakutou and Soifon barely had time to kick Omaeda out of the way and avoid getting hit herself. The beams' impact caused a massive explosion that continued everywhere he pointed his blades at. The trenches were atleast fifty yards wide as the beams destroyed the ground.

Figuring Omaeda would do more harm than good, she opened a Senkaimon. He was too weak to be of any use. "Omaeda, get your fat ass to Soul Society and get back up! Bring some captains!" The oaf gathered what strength he could and dove through the opening. Moments later, the beams passed over the door, effectively destroying it.

Soifon shunpo-ed in every known direction to escape the death beams. She also almost learned the hard way that Malik could split his beams up. She had tried to get behind him, but she had worse results than when Yoruichi did it.

'This man's power is tremendous. It appears it can't get any higher, but it doesn't feel like it's gonna run out anytime soon. How can someone besides taicho have such a huge reserve of reiatsu?'

After what seemed like minutes, the beams died down. Malik sheathed the two four-foot zanpakutous and brought out his other two, Gabriel and Dragira. Dragira, in her release form, was similar to Gabriel's in length and blade curvature, but her hand guard was a piece of steel that bent away from the hilt, over his hand, and continued down for another foot. If need be, it could be used as a knife or dagger. The blade had inch deep serrated teeth along her 6ft length. It was all blood red.

"Kisuke-sama, please do me a favor and get Fran's body out of here. It'd mean the world to me."

The hat'n clogs man nodded from his sideline view and retrieved the bloodied body of his student's girlfriend, his life.

"Such a shame," he said. "She was such a beautiful girl."

Yoruichi was having trouble looking at her. She could see now why Malik was so strong in resisting her temptations. This Fran was absolutely gorgeous for her age. Her skin color and face shape was an obvious sign that she wasn't asian. Perhaps she was from one of the Americas. Her white hair, probably a rare genetic fluke, was making it hard to determine exactly where. Yoruichi felt a bit of jealousy towards her, seeing as how she got to have Malik.

*facepalm*

'I must have something wrong with me. I could have sworn I was jealous for a second.'

"Kisuke, should we not intervene soon? Malik's attacks are causing much destruction. Plus, there will be Soul Reaper reinforcements soon." Kisuke thought over his big friend's analysis, finding it pretty solid.

"I'd say you're right on the money, Tessai. But I'd hate to break up Malik's fight. First, they take his grandpa, our friend, than they take his girlfriend. Why the latter, I don't know. But my philosophy concerning the matter is that no being has the right to disrupt one's vengeance for loss of family. There are certain lines one should never cross and the Soul Society has crossed them with such disregard. Besides, I can tell that this won't take Malik long."

Tessai was a little surprised by the comment, but no one there could bring themselves to stop Malik themselves. They watched on as he continued pounding away at the fast and nimble Soifon, current commander of the Onmitsukido group. They were a little surprised by the fact that he's had her on the defensive for the entire fight. Soifon wasn't one to be trifled with, especially in combat. She was known to be fast, deadly, and crafty, often engaging enemies and remaining on the defense to gauge their skill before striking.

However, it was clear that Soifon wasn't defending to gauge anything. She was defending for her life. Said woman was shocked to find herself quivering underneath Malik's blows. There was no longer any technique to her defense; she was was blocking out of pure instinct to live.

"_Death Arc_!" he yelled.

Yoruichi and the others were unfamiliar with it, so it must be something he's just learned. A massive crescent line of red energy flew from his lash straight towards Soifon. Said woman's eyes widen as a skinny wave of red death a couple of hundred yards long came right for her. As she nimbly dodged it, Malik slung dozens more with each swing of Dragira. He made sure to make them intersecting at various angles to make successful evasion as hard as possible.

Using the shunpo skills she was infamous for, she dodged each an every one of them. However, all of those blasts were still going, and heading straight towards the town.

"Kisuke. Tessai. Those blasts are heading for the population! We've got to stop them!"

The two men wordlessly disappeared in a flash of shunpo, soon followed by herself. They reappeared well ahead of the approaching crescents of destruction. Kisuke brought out a fan and waved himself a couple of times. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

"Indeed," Tessai said as he adjusted his glasses. "Malik's power has grown unbelievably since we've been training him."

"'Nough talking. Let's stop these blasts or a lot of people are gonna die," Yoruichi ordered.

Tessai began mixing several incantations together as Kisuke brought out Benihime from her cane sheath. "_Kirisaki, Benihime_." He swung several times, sending out not crescents, but more like large bullets towards the oncoming attacks. His attacks took out atleast six crescents, but it took about three bullets for each one.

"Hadou #88 _Hiryugekizokushintenraiho_ (Flying Dragon-Marring Heaven-Shaking Thunder-Sear) and Hadou #73 _Soren Sokatsui_ (Twin-Wake Blue Fireball)!" Tessai's had called upon two of the most devastating hadou spells of Kido. His hands radiated a bright blue light before launching a massive blast of electricity. The attack flew towards the oncoming crescents of death and impacted with several, and through several more, completely obliterating them.

Soon after that ended, reiatsu gathered at his hands again, this time launching two different large _Sokatsuis_ in opposite directions. Their flight paths quickly curved towards each other and converged on the closest **Death** **Arc**. The explosions took out that crescent, as well as three more.

Over with Yoruichi, the woman had charged her shunko and was releasing storages of power and kido with each punch and kick to destroy Malik's stray attacks. One wasn't enough, she found out, so she had to result to the old one-two. While they were cleaning up Malik's mess, said boy was drastically overpowering the 2nd Division Captain. Said woman's body was littered with cuts and burn marks, showing anyone that she was outpowered. The only thing that has kept her alive was her speed.

'Dammit! This woman is stubborn,' Malik mused. _**'Patience, Malik. She is struggling very much. Her speed can only keep her alive,**_' Dragira assured him. **'The woman's stubborn as a rock, though. I'm still curious as to why Soul Reapers, who are suppose to protect humans, killed Fran. It doesn't make sense.'**

**'**_**Well, let's make her talk.'**_

Malik couldn't have agreed more. "So are you even going to tell me why you killed Fran? She was just an innocent woman."

He stopped his assault and graced her with a brief reprieve. She eagerly gobbled up any air that she could. Eventually, her panting turned to slow, heavy breaths. "Why do...(gasp).. you think we killed her?"

"Stupid question," he remarked. "I get here and see your weapons bloody and my Fran dead. There is no excuse in the world for what you did. There's nothing I can think of that will bring her back. However," he lowered his swords, "I can start by killing you!" 'Let's give this move a shot, Dragira.'

_**'Just remember the words and movements. Its power and size is fueled by your emotions.'**_

'Right. Here we go.' "**Incendia** **Respiro**!"

Soifon was wrong when she figured his spiritual pressure couldn't go higher. The air was so thick with reiatsu that she was afraid she was going to drown in it. He filled his lungs with air and roared at Soifon. Hot flames flew out of his mouth and enveloped the entire park area, the size of two football fields side by side. Soifon had saw the fire forming at the back of his mouth and felt something bad was about to happen. And she was right. She shunpo-ed high above the field before it was turned into a firestorm.

"No way." Even from her height, the heat of the fire was cooking her skin.

Yoruichi, Kisuke, and Tessai had finished off all of the wayward crescents of red death and had just come back to witness Malik breathing fire.

"What the hell kind of attack was that?" she asked. Tessai shrugged his shoulders and was watching the one-sided fight with awe. Kisuke, though, looked like he had his thinking cap on.

"This is very strange. I can assume none of us have seen that before. His zanpakutou, the one he's had since the beginning, must've taught him that. What's more incredible is that Malik is fighting in his human body."

"So, what are you saying? That's impossible, unless...he's not human anymore?"

"It is quite possible, Yoruichi. It's looking to be something more than a human. I can't wait to ask him about it."

Malik unleashed another **Incendia** **Respiro** up at the vulnerable Soifon. The sight was breath-taking as the sky high above their general area became nothing but a swirling mass of fire. Through all of the fire, they saw a single figure drop from it towards the ground.

"I've got her," Yoruichi called out. She shunpo-ed and grabbed Soifon's unconscious form within a second and returned to the ground. Carefully, she laid her former student and prodigy on the ground. Her skin was marred with burn marks, some bad enough to leave scars. They were mainly on her bare stomach and chest. Parts of her hair were singed as well.

"Come on, Soifon-chan. You're tougher than that." Yoruichi stared down at her admirer for a few moments, amazed at how much she's grown from the small (much smaller) girl that she use to be. As Malik came down behind her, most likely wanting to finish the job, something lit the night up. He had than resealed Gabriel back from three zanpakutou to one and Dragira back to her original self. His ethereal glow dissipated as well.

With hand held in front, Yoruichi saw a Senkaimon appear and open up. Slowly, eight pairs of figures showed up. She was beyond shocked to see that the large oath from before had managed to bring the whole cavalry. There were various captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13. 'Ah, oly, sweet freakin' shit.'

From left to right were Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. When she saw Malik, she gasped at having remembered him as the human a while back ago who killed that adjuchas-hollow. Next to them were Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and his lieutenant, Renji Abarrai. The red headed Lt., as well as others, was visibly shocked see the 2nd division captain unconscious before them.

Next to those was 11th Division Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and his Lt. and adopted daughter, Yachiru. The large man took one look at Malik and his grin grew even wider. "Hell yeah, that guy looks like he can go another round or two. His reiatsu is pouring out of him!" Yachiru climbed up from behind his shoulder and was grinning as well.

"Yah, Kennie-chan's found another person to play with!"

On the right side was 13th Division Captain, Jushiro Ukitake, though he didn't bring a lieutenant. The pale, soft lookin' man saw Soifon's body and looked towards Malik. His eyes grew a little bit when he saw the two zanpakutous. Next to him was the 12th Division Captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his Lt., Nemu Kurotsuchi. He stared at Malik with evil thoughts in mind and had a sinister grin on his face. Alongside them, was the 5th Division Captain, Aizen Sosuke, along with his Lt., Momo Hinamori, and 8th Division Captain, Gin Ichimaru, with his lieutenant.

The brown hair captain, Aizen, adjusted his glasses and looked at Malik with a bit of wonder. 'Interesting. A human beating Captain Soifon.'

Finally, among them all, was the Head-Captain-Commander, Yamamoto. The man looked centuries old, but he stood rigid and strong. "Who are you and why have you attacked one of our Captains?" he all but demanded.

Malik's jaws tightened. 'This guy's attitude is worse than that woman's. Still, his spiritual pressure is intense. Unlike her, he can probably back up what he says.'

_**'Indeed, Malik. I sense eight very high spiritual pressures among them, no doubt captains. The others are small compared to what we can accomplish.'**_

**'Yes. The Captain's are the ones we should be worried about, especially that old man. They are all very dangerous. Tread cautiously, Malik.'**

Surprising himself, and all of the Gotei with her speed, the still-disguised Yoruichi shunpo-ed in front of them with Soifon's body and disappeared again. The lieutenants didn't even see what had happened. Lt. Hinamori took Soifon's unconsicous body and drugged her through the doorway. As if another annoyance was needed, the big lard-ass from before popped out from behind Yamamoto.

"Head Captain Yamamoto, sir! That is the one who fought us. He said his name was Malik. He was angry because he thinks me and Captain Soifon-taicho killed some girl named Fran."

The entire time he said that, he was on his knees constantly bowing. He was really starting to get on Malik's nerves. The head captain's voice boomed out again. "Well, is it true?"

The chubby lieutenant shook his head furiously. "Of course not, sir!"

"Hah, liar," Malik stated. He shunpo-ed and retrieved his Fran's body from where Urahara had kept her in the blink of an eye. Yoruichi had to give herself props on how good he'd gotten. However, the Gotei 13's eyes widen when they saw the bloodied form of Fran.

"My goodness. She was such a beautiful woman, too," Captain Ukitake commented.

"Awww, that's so sad, Kennie-chan!" Yachiru squeeled with sadness. Though he didn't show it, a twinge of pain and familiarity erupted inside of Kenpachi. That hair, brown skin, face shape..this Fran looked so much like a very special someone he once knew.

'But no...that couldn't be. It couldn't.'

Yamamoto's eyes opened slightly and he glared down at Lt. Omaeda. When the Lt. made eye contact with him, his entire body started shaking like a seizure victim's. "Then how do you explain that?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER NOW!" Malik yelled, releasing some of his spiritual pressure. Right now, it was just at a lieutenant's, but it got their attention. "SHE'S DEAD NOW! And someone's going to answer for that."

He lifted Gabriel and stabbed him into the ground, causing everyone save for Jushiro, Aizen, Kenpachi, Mayuri, and Yamamoto to ready their blades. He began his chant that had several of them tensing up from the creepiness of his release command.

"_Ye who seek power, come unto me, and I shall give thee despair. Come forth from the shadows and cut down those who dare challenge us, ye angel of destruction; Gabriel Celesti!"_

At command, Malik's spiritual pressure and reiatsu output shot upward. The ground beneath him began to crater and crack open all around him. Some of the Gotei 13 members decided to stick with floating to avoid the fissures opening up. However, his reiatsu was now that of a pissed off Captain's and some of them were starting to feel its effects.

There was obvious surprise amongst the captains, including Yamamoto, whose eyes slightly opened. Kenpachi's grin returned and was getting bigger by the second. Aizen wasn't really affected by Malik's reiatsu, but he was getting more and more interested in the matter. 'I can see why Soifon lost. This Malik is an extraordinary human.'

Inside of Mayuri's head, there wasn't much new. 'Blood samples. Bone marrow samples. Organ samples. Tissue samples. Reiatsu samples. I'm gonna be buuuuusy. That old human man they brought me wasn't very exciting. But this one is certainly different.'

When Malik finished releasing, he held out his 8ft long zanpakutou, Gabriel, and swung it to his side. Immediately, his eye sockets burned a bright blue. "Brace thy selves as my sword pierces thy flesh, and engraves thy tombstone," Gabriel said forth from Malik. His once calm voice was now deep and immaculate.

Kenpachi's grin threatened to tear his skin if it kept growing. Some of the other captains were unsettled by Malik's burst of power coming from just his shikai, but he couldn't wait to get started. It's been eighty long years since he's had a good fight, and this boy was starting to backup his hype.

"He's mine!" he roared. None of the fellow shinigami said anything, save for the -sotaicho.

"Malik, you are foolish and arrogant beyond comprehension if you think you can defeat us. If you wish to make Soul Society your enemy, then so be it!" Yamamoto yelled.

Kenpachi shot forth and met surprisingly stiff resistance from Malik's single-handed blade. "Say, you're pretty strong with one arm. This could get exciting! The name's Kenpachi Zaraki, 11th Division captain."

"I'd say. You're strength is incredible, Kenpachi. I hope all of the beatings I've taken from my teachers pay off. You'd love her. She's probably more merciless than you," he shot back. The large man let out a deep belly laugh.

"Is that right? Perhaps I can fight her after I'm done killing you! I promise this won't hurt but alot."

He finished that with another laugh, but was interrupted when Malik side-stepped under his downward pressure. Malik swung upward at the off-balanced captain but his target disappeared in a flash of shunpo. Malik looked around but he soon felt his instincts screaming at the top of their lungs to duck. And Malik did...just in time to make Kenpachi's horizontal slash go by a few inches overhead.

He jumped to put some distance between the two. Kenpachi was grinning like a shark, despite having missed a killing blow. "You've got some good instincts there, Malik. For a second, I was afraid that this was gonna be over too soon."

"Like Hell, Kenpachi. I will not die this day. Count on it."

"Then bring it," the captain challenged. Malik obliged him with a shunpo-ing dash straight at Kenpachi. Kenpachi swung down on him but missed. There was just the slightest blur of movement from when Malik was in front of Kenpachi and behind him. Said man was stuck still as his zanpakutou's tip was imbedded in the ground. Most of the captains watching were amazed from what they had just seen.

Seconds later, atleast seven gashes opened up over Zaraki's body, spewing out blood. Despite the wounds, the man straightened up and rolled his shoulders and neck, making a gross popping sound. His eye stared down at his body as his blood stained most of his front side. There was a frown, but it slowly formed into another grin.

"Now things are getting real interesting."

However, before he could continue, the battlefield was suddenly obscured by several explosions of pink gas. 'What the hell is this?' the captain thought.

Unsurprisingly, Malik was wondering the same thing. However, a female body wrapped him in one of its arms and shunpo-ed away, leaving everyone bewildered. When they were finally clear of the smoke, Malik saw his snatcher as none other than Yoruichi. Suddenly, he felt angry.

"Why the hell did you take me away, Yoruichi-sama?"

"Because you're a moron for challenging all of those captains, you imbecile!" Her golden eyes showed no remorse for calling him that. "We want to keep you alive. That won't happen if you go off declaring war on the Soul Society like a one-man army. You're smart. You've got brains. I suggest using them."

_**'She's right, despite how much we hate it, Malik. We may have beaten one captain, but that was just one. There were eight captains there, including their lieutenants. We would have been beaten eventually.'**_

'Than we'll get stronger..together.'

**'Sounds good to me,'** Gabriel spoke up**.**

"You have been the center of my attention for over a month now, Malik." Yoruichi's tone had gotten much softer than. It was kinda strange for her since he was use to being yelled at or teased. "You've got an incredible spirit inside of you."

_**'Spirits,**_' Dragira corrected.

"Teaching you has been really fun; the most fun I've had in almost a century. I don't know what I would do now if you were killed, after getting so use to training you. So use to being with you."

He saw something in her eyes, but only her and his two spirits actually had an idea of what it was. Disguise it as she might, she had feelings for him. Mostly physical, but..there was something else in there. Something she wasn't familiar with.

"Kisuke and Tessai had left earlier, after we retrieved Fran's body, to make preparations for our escape."

Malik's eyes snapped open. "What escape?"

The Shihoin goddess was silent for a few moments before answering. "With all of Soul Society now aware of your existance, and our house pretty much destroyed, there's only a few options for us to go."

"Like where?" he asked. What other places did they have another home at?

"Well, Kisuke's and I each got our own small area purchased in our names here in the World of the Living. We've also got a place or two we could go to in the Soul Society. Or, would you like to stay in Hueco Mundo?"

"Not a chance."

Back at where the Captains and lieutenants were, some of them were still in shock of what had just happened. They come here to provide backup for Captain Soifon and come face to face with a mysterious being named Malik who cuts up Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and pummeled Soifon nearly to death.

Said captain was currently cussing up a storm that had some of the captains blushing while he stomped around the field waving his zanpakutou in the air like a bat, screaming things like 'It's not fair!', 'We were just getting warmed up!', and 'I'll hunt that bastard down!'.

Yamamoto had ordered captains Byakuya Kuchiki, Toshiro Hitsugaya, and Jushiro Ukitake, along with their lieutenants, to give chase. Kenpachi was furious and refused to let anyone look at his wounds. He finally gets a good fight but the challenger went ahead and withdrew before things could heat up. Captains Sosuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru were off to the side discussing this Malik. Captain Mayuri was furious as well, having been denied a new test subject. Instead of giving up, his interest in Malik merely grew when he witnessed the boy's short skirmish with Kenpachi.

"Lord Aizen, what do ya make of this?" Gin whispered to the other man. Aizen fixed his glasses before giving a surprising answer.

"Actually, I've no idea, Gin. I've never seen a human like that before. Also, he had four zanpakutou. I've never heard of such a thing," he stated.

"So, what'cha tinkin' about?"

Aizen mumbled some things in his head, eyes closed in concentration. "Well, this boy obviously despises the Soul Society. All because apparently Captain Soifon and Lt. Omaeda killed his girlfriend. He defeated Soifon and stood toe to toe with Kenpachi Zaraki. I think I need to expand my recruiting campaign. Someone like that Malik will be very useful."

"My, recruiting humans, now?" Gin joked. "Yesterday, I would have thought that to be nonsense, but after what I've just seen, I can't really argue it." His eyelids opened slightly, a rare sight. "So how do you expect to recruit him? It didn't seem like he was in the mood for making friends."

"Yes, you aren't wrong there, Gin. Perhaps with a little motivation, or a invisible push from an outside source."

"Oh, and what'cha have planned?" the fox faced man asked, clearly interested. Aizen shrugged his shoulders though.

"No clue. I'll have to do some digging on him. I'll question Soifon when she is able. That young woman looked like she'd been burned alive." His eyes narrowed in thought. "Obviously, she took the worst beating, so she should know more. Hopefully I can get to her before the others."

"I swear on my zanpakutou, Sotaicho. We were killing hollows who had attacked this girl. They had killed her, but somehow her chain of fate eroded immediately and she transformed straight into an adjuchas! We tried to purify her, but she opened a garganta and jumped through. That's when that Malik punk showed up and saw us with her dead body!"

Aizen's eyes snapped towards the blubbering man. Yamamotot dismissed him, giving Aizen the chance to gain more intel. "Lt. Omaeda."

The pudgy man snapped to attention at his voice. "Yes, Captain Aizen, sir?"

"Could you tell me everything that happened again? I am planning an investigation into this and your input will be invaluable," Aizen said. He did a good job of letting Omaeda think he was very important. Said man didn't get compliments or was ever needed that much, so he reacted just the way he'd planned.

"Yes, Captain Aizen!" the oaf barked out. He proceeded to repeat the night's events from the time they attacked the hollow to Soifon opening the Senkaimon for him to get help. This was all very interesting indeed. Infact, he could even say he was excited. And with the lieutenant's testimony, he just figured out how he was going to convince Malik to join his cause.

'What perfect timing!' he thought, than his smile was turned to a frown. 'However, finding one adjuchas out of a million is going to be very tough.' "Lt. Omaeda, could you give me a description of the adjuchas?"

"Yes, sir! She obviously looked female. She had human legs, but they were bent weird, like a cat's or something. She was about nine feet tall, had long silver hair, obvious female parts, though they were covered with light armor. She had a hollow hole underneath her right chest, and she had spikes coming forward out of her forearms, knees, and calves. That was all I could remember, sir!"

The big guy held his breath for a response, and when he got a pat on the shoulder by the captain, his head swelled twice its originally enormous size.

"Thank you, Lt. Omaeda. You've helped me considerably. You're dismissed to go tend to your captain. Though, I will need to speak to her the moment she's able. Can you let me know when she wakes?"

"Absolutely, sir!" he spouted off.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to let her know you were a great help."

"Thank you, sir!" he said and went through the opened Senkaimon. Aizen returned to Gin with a smile on his face.

"I've got an idea, Gin."

Captain-Commander Yamamoto silently observed the destruction that must have been caused during Captain Soifon's fight. Trees in every direction were either utterly destroyed or on fire. He looked up into the sky and felt it was very warm, as if it were a hot summer's day. He had to admit it, rarely as he did: this Malik was powerful. This scale of destruction can only mean that he wasn't using his full strength against Kenpachi. And if he had beaten Soifon so badly, than it probably meant he wasn't using his full power than, either.

'I can't believe just over a month ago, this was the same boy Captain Hitsugaya reported had killed an adjuchas with a lieutenant's level spiritual pressure. He has grown tremendously. Undoubtably, he would have made an excellent Soul Reaper.'

**'So how do you plan on fixing this situation, Genryuusai?'** his female zanpakutou spoke up. He could see her lying casually in a meditative pose, looking him in the eyes with a curious smile on her face.

'I've never had a case where a human outpowered a captain, Ryujin. Normally, we would have to declare him an enemy of Soul Society. That, and him being a human with high spiritual pressures, would deem him to execution, but-'

**'-but what happens when the human beats up the so called 'executioners'?'** she finished. Yamamoto frowned at having been interupted, but she waved him off with a smile. **'Well, that Malik believes his girlfriend was killed by Soul Reapers. And...knowing Captain Soifon's stubborness, she probably didn't properly explain to him what transpired. I've been telling you her attitude will get her killed one of these days.'**

'Like you've been telling me about my attitude?' he asked. She acted innocent, but after a thousand years of getting to know her, her puppy dog eyes were just a feeble attempt to dissuade him.

**'Still,' **she started,** 'he doesn't have to remain an enemy. Just explain to him what actually happened. That would solve one of your problems. You know I've always despised that law, killing humans with high spiritual pressure. We're suppose to be their protectors, aren't we?'**

'Ryujin-Jakka, we've had this talk before. Why bring it up now?' he asked frustratingly.

**'Because, it's messed up! In this case, it's a double-bladed sword. Soifon has been watching that Malik with Tessai and Kisuke for the past month, all because she believes she's upholding the law. However, she's picked one who can fight back, who's taking a stand against it.'** Ryujin was on her soapbox now and Yamamoto inwardly griped, knowing she wouldn't stop until she was finished.

**'Why not just explain what really happened to Fran? That way, he will have no more ill feelings towards Soul Society. In return, the Soul Society doesn't pursue him just because he can actually defend himself.'**

'Ryujin, you know it isn't that simple. Humans with high spiritual pressures often tend to affect those around them. If everyone knew of the existance of hollows and shinigami, the world would be in chaos, unable to maturely handle the truth. There will be wars of religion who feel threatened by our existance, there would be panic from everyone being able to see spirits walking among them or hollows attacking.'

When Yamamoto finally got off 'his' soapbox, he patiently waited for a rebellious reply from his zanpakutou. The woman spirit had an uncanny ability to keep an argument going. After a few moments, and still no response, he was actual worried she wouldn't say anything at all. 'What are you mad about?'

**'That's not our decision to make,**' the fiery spirit stated. **'Let's just drop it now.**'

'Very well.'

**A/N: **And that's it for the longest chapter so far, with like 12,000 words. I know alot of stuff happened in this chapter, but this chapter was meant to get the plot rolling into a different direction, to break away from the usual training and spying. Those were becoming monotonous and would have done more harm to readers' interest in the story than good.

So, there are different things unfolding. Malik, Yoruichi, Tessai, and Urahara are now on the run. Captain Aizen has a plan to lure Malik to his side. Mayuri has his wishful thinking of experimenting on Malik. (What's happened to Toicha?) Kenpachi wants to fight Malik, but seeing Fran has unsettled him, which should be a life-time achievement. What relationship could she have with him? And Captain Yamamoto, stuck between upholding every absolute bit of the law and his more free-thinking zanpakutou spirit. What kind of effects will he have on certain events?

I've worked superhard on this chapter, and I did this during my finals' week. So please review if you can find it in your hearts. Anonymous reviews will be accepted. Thank you.


	10. Daily life

A Child's Journey

**A/N: **Hello. Everyone having a Merry Christmas Break? So far, it's been anything but "merry" on my end. My calico cat, Lola, whom I'd dubbed Yoruichi for her smartness and lovingness, had been missing for a week, but I'd just found her the other night decomposing behind my sister's vehicle's engine. Apparently, a large cat(which is dead, courtesy of me and my Achita, Rocky) had gotten into a scruffle with her and chased her underneath the car. It seems Lola was forced into a place she couldn't get out of.

I know some people are going to be like 'Boo-fucking-hoo', but I'm not asking for sympathy. I'm merely explaining to some my certain behavior change which will inevitably end up in my writing. So be warned if I use alot of coarse language in this chapter. But, I will TRY to control my temper throughout the writing of this chapter.

I'd like to apologize for the sudden appearance and death of Fran. I know she just came out of nowhere, and that's my own fault. I had completely forgotten about her in the earlier chapters. The only changes I've made have been in the prelude, but not much is different except for her mentioning.

This chapter will be kind of a filler in some areas, such as the well-being of the fraccion. Some might be OOC because I've never seen them in the movies or animes. I'll also give you a better introduction to Remarri and Mosinguelle, the OC privaron.

I don't own Bleach, so you lawyers can suck a dick and die! You punk-ass bitches be trippin' if you think I'mma slip up and not put this disclaimer and risk the chance of being sued. FUCK YOU!

(Still pissed about the death of my cat, Sorry) Please enjoy.

* * *

><p>Fran, now an adjuchas-class menos, roamed through the unknown world of Hueco Mundo. Her clawed feet, despite her size, hardly left prints in the sand as she walked. Ever since she'd gotten here, she kept moving. That was all she knew to do.<p>

'Where am I? Why does it feel so natural to me? Have I been here before?' She asked herself those questions over and over again, hoping, wishing that the answer would magically pop up in her head. She had been walking around cluelessly for the past hour since she got here. She didn't know she could open a garganta. She knew she was in danger and her instincts made her flee.

Speaking of danger. 'Who were those two? Why did they try to attack me? I did nothing to them!' She clearly recalled the faces of her two attackers and memorized every feature of them.

While walking, a strange buzz sound resounded in her head. Despite whatever she did, it only grew. It grew till she was constantly rubbing her head. "Why is my head hurting? Aggghh..."

Soon, the noise grew beyond iritating. She grimaced and held her head as if that would help. Suddenly, the buzzing sound grew stronger; at that same moment, a trio of adjuchas hollows jumped over a sand dune and landed in front of her. Ignoring the headache, she looked up at her strange visitors. There was a hound-like hollow, easily twice her size, a humanoid adjuchas, which stood about 10ft tall and had the head of a muffed up tiger or something, and the third hollow was a large avion creature.

Fran looked into one of their eyes and saw what she could only describe as a hungry look. Her animal instincts started kicking in from that alone. These guys were not to be trusted. As if on cue, the tiger-headed one started chuckling.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a female here. A tasty looking one at that."

"I can literally taste her spiritual pressure in the air, Conrak," spoke up the bird, who was referring to the tiger hollow. "How did a lonely female get that strong?"

"Who cares?" shouted the one Fran had looked at. The large mut sniffed the air and his eyes slitted in anticipation of their next meal. "Last one to kill her gets none!"

He lunged at her with surprising speed, and she only had time to react instinctively. The hound ended up pouncing on sand when he landed. "Where did she go?" They looked around and saw her behind them about fifty yards in a half squatting position.

"She's a fast one," Conrak said. "Bulline. Crattes. Flank her on both sides." The bird and hound nodded and quickly circled around her. "Listen here, girl. Make this easier on all of us and just give up," he suggested, with an air of arrogance and superiority.

Fran's response was something besides surrendering. She growled at them, something between a mix of a large cat and a wolf or large dog, making sure to show them her impressive set of teeth. 'Why are these guys trying to kill me? I don't understand!' '_Hungry.' '_What?' '_Need to eat. Kill them.'_

She didn't know what that voice was, but she found herself trusting it. Listening to it as if it were the most important thing in the world. When it ordered again, she didn't hesitate to comply. She ran straight at the hound and was in his face before he even noticed she had moved. She reared her fist back and his eyes widen ever so slightly, just before her fist connected with his nose.

The force nocked him silly temporarily. The other two adjuchas were too surprised by this female's sudden attack that neither moved to help their comrade.

'_Snap fingers.' '_What? Why?' '_Trust me.'_

She found herself complying again. She snapped her right hand's middle and thumb finger. An explosion knocked her off her feet. It came from the hound, who was now headless from the blast. Slowly, she got to her feet and looked at the damaged with awe. 'What was that? Did I do that?' _'Fight. Survive. Eat._'

Whatever was telling her these things sounded soothing, yet urgent. She felt like if she didn't comply, she would die. She didn't want to die. There was something in her chest telling her that she can't die here. "Alright. I think I understand now."

The two other arrancar were just getting out of their stupor when she had jumped high enough into the air to kick Crattes out of the sky. Seconds later, before he even hit the ground, another explosion, its origin being the bird's chest where he got kicked, ripped apart the hollow's chest and through his back.

Fran had landed on her feet, not disturbing a single grain of sand. Her red eyes glared holes into Conrak's head as she visually painted a bull's eye on him. Said hollow felt fear from just her stare. As she ran at him with a speed his eyes could barely catch, his world went dark.

* * *

><p>Normally, trying to keep up with Yoruichi was like telling a cripple to cover a racehorse. She didn't carry to title 'Goddess of Flash' for nothing. But Malik was right behind her. Thanks to the every power and speed from Dragira, he could stay on her tail. As the duo sped away as fast as they could, Malik grinned when he felt the spiritual pressures of the pursuing captains fall farther and farther away.<p>

'Man, those are captains and we're outrunning them like they were standing still. I would never be able to do this without you guys. You know that, right?' He was referring to his two zanpakutous, Gabriel and Dragira.

**'Though we have our own source of power, we often fuel each other's own supply with that and our emotions**,' replied Gabriel.

Malik was beginning to understand more and more of his zanpakutou with each minute. He realised that he wouldn't even have been alive if it wasn't for Dragira lending a little bit of her power on that first day. He understood that he owed his life and everything he had to them for their help. In response, their bonds grew even more than, already increasing his massive spiritual pressure. Enough to make Yoruichi turn her head with a curious look.

"You alright, Malik? Your spiritual pressure just flared."

He managed to return her gaze and manage a small smile, despite what has occurred this night. "Hai, Yoruichi-sama. I'm alright."

She didn't believe him for a second, and she had a pretty good idea why. "Malik, when we finally get to our destination, we will be safe for the time being. We'll burry Fran's body and let you mourn."

His eyes widen considerably when she said that. He didn't explode or deny it. She was right. About that atleast, not the cause of his power-up. When they finally get to where their new home, he'd be sure to mourn for his Fran as much as he could. Thinking back on their time together, tears started welling up around his eyes. He blinked and tried to rub them away with his hand, but some fell down his cheek still, and burst into a small flame before dying out.

'Dragira...any idea why my tears keep bursting into fire?'

_**'Yes, it's a rather simple reason. Mine burst into flames, so when we soul bonded, you just inherited that trait,...among other things.**_'

'Okay, I guess that makes sense. When I finally get a clear head on my shoulders, I would like to talk about what I am some more, if that's alright?'

Though he couldn't see it, the dragon lady gave a beaming smile. _**'Yes, that would most definately be alright. Let's just focus on getting to where we're going, then do what we've got to do for Fran**_.'

'Yeah, you're right. Thanks.'

He focused back on keeping up with Yoruichi. Said woman was still concerned for Malik's psychological well-being. He'd just discovered his girlfriend dead, and now he was fleeing without having a chance to properly mourn and go over these events. This wasn't what she wanted for him. She'd a whole century planned out being his teacher and friend, training with Urahara and Tessai.

Though she was sure he'd surpass her well before a hundred years, as much as she hated to admit it. After just a month of training, he'd defeated her former pupil, who she'd trained for many years and was currently a captain of the Gotei 13. She couldn't imagine where he would be in a hundred years.

'Probably God of Flash.'

There were also other things she had planned for him, things that seemed to accidentally slip into her mind. Things that involved him and her. Face it, he was a handsome young guy that was strong and kind. She was a centuries old minx with a young, hot body and a teasing personality. They would be great together. They'd find a place on the beach, she'd get him to where a collar with her name on it, and she'd live the high life.

All of that was shot to hell, with this night. He'd had a girlfriend she didn't know about who ended up getting killed, and now Malik was in the open for all of the Gotei 13 to see. Much as she hated it, there was nothing that could change the past now. No doubt with Malik beating up a captain, they would continue to pursue them.

There would inevitably be more confrontations, which would lead to more and more till one or the other was dead or decided to give up. With Yamamoto in charge, she couldn't imagine the latter to ever happen. The man was too prideful and was a very sore loser, despite what anybody said about him.

Her heart went out to Malik. He had been just an semi-ordinary human, and in the span of a couple of months, his entire life had been shattered. She didn't fail to notice his tears. Though they burst into flames seconds later, it didn't make him look any less vulnerable. She just wanted to hold him, like he had held her when she was paralyzed from hitting his Seki shield. She wanted to comfort him any way she could, whether it be giving him a shoulder to cry on, an ear to talk to, or just a companion to keep company. He was still a child, after all.

Thinking back, she grinded her teeth hard when the sight of Soifon over Fran's body popped up. 'Just what the hell were you thinking, Soifon?'

She couldn't think of any reason why a Soul Reaper would kill a human, unless said human had a high spiritual pressure, like Malik and Toicha. For something she had no control over. That was one of the reasons she never regretted not going back to the Sereitei: the same law against plus humans was installed while she lived there. However, there was now a new goal in her mind, and after seeing what Malik was capable of, she felt it could actually work.

They traveled mostly in silence, only speaking when either Malik's reiatsu flared again or just to pass the time. They didn't know how much time had passed by, but the full moon was directly in the middle of the night sky. It was probably about 1:00 a.m. They had long since lost the three pursuing captains.

According to Yoruichi, their destination was another hour away. Tessai and Urahara had used a teleporting kido to get there. Unfortunately, neither Yoruichi or Malik knew it, so they had to stick to shunpo.

"Just another hour, Malik. Once there, we'll be safe and you can rest. You've had a traumatic night," she said, trying to comfort him still. He merely nodded and kept up with her pace.

* * *

><p>Yamamoto looked over the three captains before him, who'd returned empty handed from their pursuit of Malik. He was abit furious to see that three of his captains failed to catch the boy. Byakuya, Toshiro, and Ukitake all bowed their heads respectivefully.<p>

"We're sorry to have failed you, Sotaicho," Jushiro spoke up first. "Despite our best efforts, it appears the boy and his partner's level of shunpo have far exceeded our own. We would never have been able to catch them."

The three anxiously waited for Yamamoto to show his legendary dislike of failure, especially from his captains. They didn't wait long. "This is unacceptable! As captains of the Gotei 13, you letting a human and his partner, whose reiatsu level was lower than a lieutenant's, best you is indismissable. Perhaps you are not as powerful as you'd first thought."

The two elder captains weren't affected much by the jab, but Toshiro was still young as a captain, and this was his first ever scolding as a captain. Needless to say, the short, white-haired captain's teeth grinded against each other as anger towards himself began to overtake him. Luckily, Jushiro sensed Captain Hitsugaya's distress and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, bringing the child-like captain out of his self-loathing.

"You three are dismissed," the head captain bellowed out. "I will have Soifon's Onmitsukido and police force begin tracking them down. We need to sort this mess out before it grows out of control. We will also need to figure out how many human casualties there are. I will leave that to Captains Aizen and Ichimaru."

With a flick of his beard, he turned away and left the three captains by themselves. Byakuya was silent and decided to return to Soul Society. Jushiro patted the angry Hitsugaya to try and relax him. "Loosen up a bit, Captain Hitsugaya. He's normally like that when anyone messes up. Besides, there was nothing we could have done."

Toshiro's fists clenched tight as he struggled to control his anger. "I should have tried harder."

Jushiro looked down at him with a kind smile, one he was known and loved for by many. 'He may be a captain, but he's still so young. He'll learn soon enough. Might as well be now.'

"Captain Hitsugaya, Captain Kuchiki has one of the most advanced levels of shunpo in all of Soul Society and even he was outran. He may not show it, but he is very agrivated as well. If he is upset, than there is no reason why you should be. Come now, I think some tea and rest will do you alot of good."

He proceeded to walk through the Senkaimon, with the young captain in tow. Before he walked through, Toshiro stopped, having forgot someone. "Lt. Matsumoto, we are leaving!"

His busty, strawberry-blonde lieutenant snapped her attention towards him and nodded. "Alright Captain!" She said a few last words to Nemu Kurotsuchi, who she'd been trying to befriend lately, and left with the two captains.

Nemu, the artificially created, super hot, lieutenant of the twelvth division, went to rejoin her father/master/captain/creator when the talkative 10th division lieutenant had finally left. Mayuri was so deep into his thoughts and scribbling down a few notes, he didn't even notice she was by his side till she spoke up.

"Master Mayuri, what are you planning on doing now, since we've failed to secure the human?"

Her question finally brought him out from his own mind and he looked at his creation with an uncaring feeling. "I will need you to absorb some of the reiatsu that our 'new specimen' has left behind. There's plenty still in the air and around the several blast craters. It won't be much, but it will give me something to do till we catch him."

"As you wish, Master," she replied stoicly. Her master would address her anyway he saw fit but it did not matter to her. She would obey his every command. He gave her life for that purpose, so she would fulfill her role. As an articficial being created from the inner workings of the Captain's mind, there was way more to her than meets the eye.

She was immune to all of Mayuri's poisons, and even had several poisons inside her body; she didn't ever fight with a zanpakutou, but she had near super human strength and was very well versed in hand-to-hand fighting. Along with the basics, her body also had several abilities. Mayuri designed her body to be able to aborb reiatsu from the air, such as the vast amount that still lingered around them.

Small, near invisible pores throughout her skin opened up and began acting as a vacuum for spiritual pressure and reiatsu traces. Instinctively, she went to the area where that Malik and Captain Zaraki fought, assuming she would gather the most amount there. However, she was surprised and intrigued when the amount she felt was fit for a captain, but not for who caused such devastation around them. She followed her senses and eventually had to fly up a couple hundred feet to get to the strongest source of energy she could feel.

Stepping into the invisible pocket of leftover reiatsu Malik left behind, she gasped. A characteristic that was not common for her. Her body was soaking up the power left in the air, the same place where Malik was floating when he had used his fire breath. Instantly, she could tell that this amount was very potent and matched what the surrounding devastation was caused by. It was burning hot, much to her surprise. Internal regulators within her body, another unique thing her Captain put inside her, started adjusting the heat to bring it down to a safer level.

'What kind of spiritual pressure is this? Undoubtably, this can be very lethal to humans and shinigami if exposed long enough. Mayuri-sama will have to be notified of this.' Her body quickly sucked up the optimal amount of reiatsu, more quickly than other times before. 'Whatever this reiatsu came from, it most certainly isn't human or Soul Reaper. Possibly hollow?'

She shunpo-ed back to where Mayuri was currently overlooking some of the damage, closely inspecting it for unknown variables. "Mayuri-sama, I have retrieved enough spiritual energy. I must bring to your attention something troubling."

The captain didn't so much as turn towards her, and he kept going about his business. "Mayuri-sama, this reiatsu is very potent. Prolong exposure to any normal being could result in death or incapacitation.'

That stopped him in his work. He looked back at her with a questioning look. "Care to say that again?"

"Very well, sir. While gathering samples of Malik's spiritual pressure in a certain area, my body started to instantly react to it. My internal temperature rose above safety boundaries, thus forcing my internal regulators to adjust the heat. Not only is the reiatsu hot, but it is very potent. In small amounts it is like any other spiritual pressure, but in mass, any normal being, human or shinigami below the rank of a low-level captain, wouldn't be able to take much of it."

He slowly processed what his daughter had said, and his excitement started building to where it showed on his face. His signature grin showed itself, signaling that he was delighted at the news. "That is very interesting. A potent reiatus that could kill in volume. Hehehe, this day might not be such a waste after all. Come Nemu, I will study the reiatsu samples you've collected, but before we go, I'll have to inform the remaining captains of the danger."

"Very well, Mayuri-sama," she obediantley replied.

* * *

><p>(Hueco Mundo)<p>

Two swords clanged together, releasing an explosion of energy that rocked the training room's walls. Dozens of pairs of sparring arrancar, most being trained by the Privaron Espada 101, Skullak Tuma, took that as their signal to give the battling duo their space. A young, red-headed arrancar swung towards his master's midsection, the the pale skinned, green-eyed Esapda parried it with a single hand.

"Very good, Genesis. You're speed and power are increasing. My blade was actually pushed back that time."

Genesis stared Ulquiorra in the eyes, and the two seemed to be having a wordless conversation. The fraccion merely nodded and broke away, only to come back with a thrust towards his master's face. Ulquiorra side-stepped it and swung upwards, knocking Genesis's blade upwards. He than spun underneath his fraccion's weapon arm and succeeded in slashing a good ten inches through the ribs, cutting through one rib, his chest plate, and his right lung.

For the first time since his arrancarization, Genesis showed emotion in public. Unfortunately for him, it was pain. He fell to one knee and clutched at the wound that was gushing blood.

"Go ahead. Take your time, Genesis," Ulquiorra said. To the fraccion and numeros watching, it looked like Ulquiorra was telling him to take his time dieing. Many grimaced at the sight of so much blood squirting onto the floor.

"Poor Genesis," one girl whispered to no one in particular. Genesis had inadvertently become one of the most eligible bachelors, having been blessed with an attractive face, an exotic head of red hair, and a mysterious, non-caring persona, much like his Espada master. He was a complete enigma to everyone, save for Ulquiorra to some extent, but that seemed to have only made him more attractive.

First, it was just his appearance and his shoulder-pad mask fragments that caught their attention, but soon, the girls started fawning over him when one saw him by himself passionately reading a book aloud and was doing different motions as if he was in a Shakespeare's play. Once word got out, strictly to other girls and everyone made sure to keep it a secret from Genesis, they would always hide their spiritual pressure and sneak up on him while he was by himself. He instantly stole their hearts.

Skullak, the leader of the Privaron, was one of the few, out of the Privaron and Espada, that took joy in training the numeros. However, the treatment Genesis seemed to have been getting from Ulquiorra had him stepping towards the duo intending to intervene.

Ulquiorra's emotionless mask remained, and for good reason. Seconds later, Genesis's wound ceased spilling blood and it soon healed. He had high-speed regeneration, like his master and some others, but not nearly as fast. What would take the Quinto Espada seconds to recover, took him about thrice the time.

Soon, Genesis was back on his feet in perfect health, much to the expectance of Ulquiorra, much to the relief of Skullak, and much, much more to the delight of the few female arrancars that were present.

Ulquiorra noticed the Privaron Espada's presence, but didn't give him as much as a glance. "Your concern is noted, Skullak, but do not worry about my fraccion. I was bent on not taking any students at all, but I chose Genesis. I will not inflict any fatal wounds or unnecessary abuse on him."

Skullak looked between the two and when he received a reassuring nod from Genesis, he tilted his head in respect. "Whatever you say, Ulquiorra. I was unaware of his high-speed regeneration." He turned to continue training the numeros he had left off.

Ulquiorra glanced uncaringly at his retreating form. 'Just what were you going to do if I had seriously hurt him?' He took note that Skullak was the Primera of the original Espada before the arrival of Aizen, and did not doubt his strength and combat capabilities. But still, there was a reason why he was replaced by the current Espada.

"I'm ready, Ulquiorra-sama," Genesis spoke. It was soft, but behind that veil was a strong, young-adult, male who was anything but soft. Ulquiorra's gaze went to his fraccion and he simply held up his zanpakutou.

"Very well. Come at me again."

* * *

><p>"Alright, Pesche and Dondochaka, I'm going to go say hi to Stark-sama!" Nel yelled over her shoulder. Seconds later, the two male fraccions rushed to her feet sheding exaggerated tears.<p>

"Please, Nel-sama, don't leave us here with those four!" Pesche cried out. "They do horrible stuff to us when you're gone!"

Nel's large grey orbs studied her two friends' faces and much to their horror, she started giggling. "Silly, Pesche! Ying&Yang, Loly, and Menoly are nice girls. They were even excited about it when I told them of my plan earlier today! You'll have a great time."

As she said that, the color from their faces slowly bleached till they were as white as their uniforms. "Alright, you two stay out of trouble!" she said, excitedly. With that, she slammed the door closed and sonido-ed off to Stark-sama's palace.

The duo were startled from their spot when two very distinct voices called them from behind. They slowly turned around and saw Ying and Yang, the twin arrancar sisters, smirking at them.

The two women looked exactly like, but the only thing that made them different was their clothing, hair, and eye colors. Ying favored long blue sock-like stockings, had longer, blue hair & blue eyes, while Yang was sporting red stockings, shorter, red hair, and eyes. Both had white, sleeveless jackets and short blue/red schoolgirl-themed skirts and both had blue/red elbow length gloves.

Their mask fragments resembled headbands, except they went vertically over their heads and ended at their eyebrows. They carried their zanpakutous at their sides as well, Ying's a whip and Yang's a flaming sword.

The two stood leaning their shoulders together with their arms crossed over their own chests. Both of them had an evil grin on their face. "We've already spoken to Neliel-sama," Ying declared.

"And we know just when she'll get back," Yang continued.

"Are you ready to have some more fun, Pesche?" Ying asked. Said boy's knees were shaking from her idea of fun. As was Dondochaka's when Yang asked him the same thing. The girls took their profuse sweating and trembling shakes as 'yes'.

"Alrighty then," Ying started.

"Let's follow Neliel-sama's orders and have some fun," her sister finished. Both drew their zanpakutous and pointed them with a sinister grin at the two men. Ying unrolled her whip and it started generating electricity. She whipped the air a couple of times, each resounding in a loud 'CRACK', along with a bolt of lightning.

"Neliel-sama...help us," the two males both whined.

Loly and Menoly were in their own rooms when they heard the undeniable, unmistakable sound of the two boys whimpering. Menoly was just wanting to get some sleep while her sister was contemplating on whether to go join the fun or not. That was what the three of them had found fun to do when they got bored. Since the guys were outnumbered two to four, it was only natural that the girls were to beat them up and exert their superiority of the opposite sex. It's been done since the beginning of time.

The sickening sound of a whip ripping skin and a fireball roasting flesh made the more passive Menoly wince. Those Ying&Yang twins were something fierce when it came to having fun.

"Don't you think you three are being too hard on them?" she asked her own twin. Said sister had just put on her short skirt and was currently trying to brush some tangles out of her long, black hair.

Menoly saw her sister's one visible, pink eye roll at the question. "What kind of question is that, Menoly? Of course we aren't. They're guys, it's their place."

Menoly rubbed a free hand through her short, messy, blonde hair. Lazily, she scratched her mask fragment, which was an eye patch over her right eye. Loly had the same kind, except hers was over the other eye. "Just sayin', ya'll sure beat them up alot...and they already do anything we ask them to do. Why keep on?"

Loly finished brushing her hair and skillfully styled it into two long pigtails. "Why not? Besides, we never really hurt them that bad. Just a few flesh wounds here and there. Nothing they can't handle. Well, I'm ready. You coming?"

"Nah," Menoly waved, already having a pillow over her face. "You go on ahead. I'm gonna sit this one out."

Loly shrugged her shoulders and walked out of the room. Before she closed the door, she turned around to ask a question, and there were already dozens of 'Zs' floating above Menoly's head. "Hhmph"

She closed the door and joined in on the "fun" that Ying and Yang were having.

* * *

><p>Remarri Seto was one of the very rare arrancar, much less hollow, that actually remembered his past life. It was a life well spent, he believed. A life full of prosperous living, brought on by hard work, dedication, selflessness, and a job that paid well. It all ended with a bang, which is how he had always hoped he'd go. That was the way life should be for everyone, he believed. No short cuts. No easy way. If you didn't work for it, you didn't earn it. That was how he was brought up.<p>

Though that life was taken away from him, he still held those values and ethnics to heart, even as a spirit. Since his creation and promotion to a Privaron Espada, he found a way to use those ideals of his once again. The Privaron Espada were given authority over the numeros, but they were still overshadowed by the Espada themselves. His new goal was to become one of the elite. He would accept nothing less.

So, with the desire to be an Espada fueling his will and determination, he made sure to train every morning till his limbs felt like they were going to fall apart. That would be about sixteen of every twenty-four hours in Hueco Mundo. Though days didn't matter here, he kept track of the time, picking when he felt like the day started and going from there.

Everyday since he started this regimen, he has felt his power atleast double after each day. No doubt he could beat most of the current Privaron, but they were not his goal. He was even confident that he could take on any of the lower ranked Espada, but now was not the time. He would wait till he felt he himself was strong enough. He would take his position by storm.

As he stepped out into the endless sands outside of Las Noches, he did not waste time beginning the first of his exercises. Sonido training. To increase speed and endurance. He stuck a marker in the ground that he brought along for this specific reason. The other one he would place after sonido-ing for thirty seconds as fast as he could. Once he planted that marker, he would sonido back and forth as fast as he could with the goal of being faster than he was before by the end of the session.

The markers were simple. A twenty foot, thin, metal pole with a small, red banner on the tip.

He looked at his digital watch, something he had asked Szayel to make him, and waited till the second hand began the new minute.

"57...58...59...Go.."

His large body disappeared with only the barely audible static sound remaining. He rushed as fast as he could, making sure to control his breathing and making each step longer than the last one. As he pushed himself beyond his normal limits, a low rumbling noise, like a baby sonic boom, roared across the sands in the wake of his movements.

'28...29...30.'

He stopped and saw that he had cleared a nice lengthy distance within his time limit. 'I'd give that about seven miles. Aint too bad.' He drove the second marker into the sands, making sure it's anchored in there good. 'Alright, I've got this session for three hours, back and forth, now. That oughta be a real nut sweat.'

He waited till the next minute started. '59...60.'

And in another burst of sonido, he was gone.

* * *

><p>Within the darkness of one of the Privaron's confines, a figure was meditating. Nothing else could be heard, not even his breathing. The only visible signs that he was alive was the slow breaths that could be seen as they came out of his mouth. He had his room turned into the coldest spot in all of Las Noches. The man liked the cold. It reminded him of home.<p>

Yes, Mosinguelle was one of the _other _rare arrancar that could remember their past lives. He had swore when he first became a hollow to never forget. And he hasn't, unlike most hollows who choose to forget and try to start over. No, the past is what makes a person them. To forget the past, especially their own, would be to abandon themselves. He found that undoable.

So...what was he meditating on today? No one knows, save for himself. And no one ever dared to ask him. He was too creepy. Heck, he even creeped out Szayel and Aaroniero, and that's definately saying something. Szayel just found him incapable of approaching, while Aaroniero seemed to be literally afraid of him, but only he truly knows why, if that's true.

Being a Privaron had its perks. A room all to himself, and he could adjust it however he wanted it. That was the only thing he enjoyed. Fraccion? Never really considered it. Open spaces or socially involved? Hardly, though two did seemed considerably okay to talk with, though he hasn't even hinted when he would ever speak with them.

He silently took a deep breath, held it, and released. He found this the only thing worth doing in his free time. Sitting on his ceiling, meditating, using breathing therapy, and enjoying his sub-zero temperature room was what he has done for the past several days now, not once coming down. He even slept like this, he didn't care.

However, his senses were rudely assaulted when he heard footsteps outside of his room. The unmistakeable sound of a person's knuckles tapping his door was unwanted, but he would not be a bad host and deny them. It was his first guest, afterall.

"Come in," he spoke, his Eastern European accent heavily influencing its sound. The door opened slightly, and he could hear the subtle shivers within the visitor's body as 'she' felt the rush of freezing air hit her head-on. He slowly opened his eyes, his brown pupils adjusting within seconds to the complete darkness. When he saw his guest, he was actually surprised when the Primera Espada herself walked into his room.

"Interesting," he silently said.

When she had taken a couple of more steps, small torches along the wall's lower levels lit up, illuminating the lowerhalf of his cylindrical room, while he and the tophalf remained shrouded in darkness. The mood of the room seemed to have unsettled her, but only slightly. Afterall, she was the Primera. What did she have to fear from a Privaron?

As she made her way to the center of the room, she noticed that there was a single pallet off to the side. There wasn't any furniture anywhere. 'Man likes it simple...and cold.' She looked around but still didn't see him.

"Privaron...I have come to make your acquaintance. I have done the same with all of the Privaron, save for Remarri. Cirucci-san said I could find you here." As she spoke, she silently enjoyed the chill that went through her mouth from the room. Being the shark queen, her shark characteristics loved cold, whether it be water or air.

"Indeed, you have, Queen," came the strangely unsettling voice. She raised an eyebrow at the title. Why was he calling her 'Queen'? Mosinguelle stood up from his spot, which was actually upside-down, and jumped down to greet her more properly. His boots hit the ground without a sound.

Tia felt her instincts talking to her, so she turned around and found a pale looking man with long, black hair standing before her, but bowing to where his head was as low as his stomach. He had one of his arms over his stomach and the other straight out to the side. "Welcome to my humble residence, Queen Halibel. I am Mosinguelle Tunichi, Privaron Espada 107. It is an honor."

She stood there, her eyes widening just a little bit at the man's greeting. 'Definately not normal...but very respectful.' He slowly straighten up and showed her the six inches his taller frame had on her 5'9 body.

When she saw his face, she was a bit more unsettled. With a few veins around his forehead and temples, he had brown eyes, a strong jaw, and a gotee of black hair. His skin was sickly pale with veins easily visible from underneath his skin all over his arms and neck. He wore just pants, similar to the style she wore, except that his actually had a waist band to keep them up instead of a belt like hers. Hanging over his crotch area, he had a large knife, about nine inches long, sheathed and securely buckled.

'His zanpakutou, no doubt.'

"Mosinguelle-san, it is a pleasure to meet you," she said emotionlessly. He didn't think anything of it, but he bowed his head with his hand on his chest.

"What a pleasure is to you, is the world to me, Queen. I would offer you a seat, but unfortunately, I was not expecting visitors so soon. All I can offer you is my pallet, if that will suffice."

"Thank you, but I will stand. Your hospitality is very generous and has been noted. Like I said, I've come to visit with each of the Privaron, especially you and Remarri-san."

"My, I am truly honored than. May I ask what about me and Lord Remarri is so interesting?"

His words slid right off the tongue and it irked her a little. However, she also caught the title she used for Remarri-san. "First off, I would like to know why you call me 'Queen' and used the title 'Lord' with Remarri. The best I can understand is that you may have been from a different culture than most of us here are."

Mosinguelle wasn't surprised at her curiosity and found her sharpness likeable. No doubt, she used her smarts to help her achieve the position of Primera. "You are very intuitive, Queen. Yes, it is true. I still remember my past life as a human, and customs and courtesies were very different than they are here. We'd refer to nobles as 'lords' in Romania. The Privaron and the Espadas' positions are similar to nobles', so I refer to them like I would with the latter."

'That makes perfect sense,' she thought. 'Growing up in a culture like that would undoubtably explain much about him.'

"I understand. You remember your ways when you were still alive, so they instinctively got carried over. The same could go for the majority of us here, who were in Japan when we died, or had lived for a while."

"Again, your intelligence far surpasses most here, Queen."

"So, did your people refer to the women nobles as 'Queens' as well?" she asked, having noticed that he had not answered that question yet. He gave her a seductive(?) smile, but shook his head.

"No, we did not. We only referred the actual queen as 'Queen'. You are the Primera, the strongest arrancar in all of Hueco Mundo. Answerable only to Aizen. You are female as well. Therefore, the title of Queen goes to no one else."

He gave his answer clearly and without a hint of nervousness. She knew he really meant that word for word. Also, there was something else she noticed. "May I ask why you don't say Aizen's name with a respectful suffix?"

At the mention of Aizen's name, his face twisted into a scowl and his eyes narrowed. Despite his sudden 180, she remained still, unafraid. Mosinguelle rocked back and forth and slowly turned his grim face away from his Queen's view, not wanting to show it to her. "Even though he gave me more power, he took me from a life spent killing and looking for death as a human, and placed me in his army, only to have me live it all over again."

She was a bit surprised by the response. Her curiosity was taking over and she wanted to know more. "What do you mean, Mosinguelle-san?"

He pulled out his knife and started spinning it around his fingers, as if doing that was relieving some stress. Silently, she watch as he masterfully twirled and maneuvered the large blade with blinding speed with just his left hand. He looked angry, yet when he spoke again, it was still the same voice.

"In Romania, in Eastern Europe, there were always armed factions fighting and killing each other for the sake of their own beliefs. Innocents were often caught in their line of fire. My village was one of them. As a child, I watched everyone I knew get murdered right in front of me. After that, I joined up with one faction to someday avenge my village. I fought countless battles. People I came to know died on both of my sides, and soon, I was again all alone.

After we eventually killed the group that destroyed my village, I did not know where to go. So I fought for the only thing I knew that would bring me peace. I fought...for death."

His voice was only strained by the smallest amount when he said that. Tia was amazed and horrified with his story, but he, apparently, was still not done.

"And so, after more countless battles, I fought and never died. Every time I rushed into the enemy's forces, I eventually came out. I had been clubbed, stabbed, beaten, slashed, impaled, garreted, strangled, crucified, maimed, and shot. But...(tension in voice grows) I still did not die. So, word spread that I was cursed, or possessed, or an immortal, that no one could kill me. Many powerful men came to enlist me in their armies. I only joined so that one day, I could prove the rumors wrong, and find death someday.

So I continued being a soldier for hire for decades, killing hundreds, thousands. Finally, one day...a lone warrior from far away came and offered to fight me, soley for the purpose of ending my pain. He had me figured out. He was the only one to have ever truly understood my pain and sorrow. So I eagerly accepted. And after a grand fight, one that had no spectators, it ended. After dozens of cuts and stab wounds, I finally died. I died with a smile on my face."

He turned and came towards Tia, and she could see the pain in his eyes. She truly felt pity for him. "I understand now, Mosinguelle. You finally died and was put to rest. But Aizen brought you into his army, which will inevitably bring to you more fighting and killing. I'm sorry. If you want, I will gladly relieve you of your shackles to this fate."

For emphasis, she drew her hollowed out zanpakutou. Mosinguelle was shocked, more than anything, by her offer. Here was a woman who, after hearing his story just once, understood him. She was truly something. The future would undoubtably hold much danger for her. He couldn't let that happen.

"Tell me, Queen. What do you fight for?" he asked solemnly.

"My aspect of death is Sacrifice. The only reason I accepted Aizen's offer of power was because I could not protect those dear to me, my fraccion. With that, he promised me the power to protect them, so I would not experience the pain of loss. That is what I fight for."

'Truly someone magnificent,' he thought. There are so few people like her in this place..in this world. Perhaps this was fate. Perhaps this was a divine being smiling down on him. 'Finally, I have once again found meaning to my struggles.'

He placed his hand on her zanpakutou, making her eyes widen a bit. "You have given me something to fight for, besides death, Queen. Thank you." With that, he bowed deeply, with the first bits of joy in his eyes in a long time.

Halibel was speechless, but she got part of the message. He didn't want to die now. 'Why? After all he has told me. I know I didn't read him wrong. What have I given him to fight for?' She thought about asking him, but she felt compelled to leave him be. "Perhaps, some day, I will understand what you mean, Mosinguelle. I am honored that you so compellingly shared your life's story with me. Do not worry, I will keep your feelings for Aizen to myself. I must be going now."

Mosinguelle gave her an actual smile and escorted her back to the door. When they got there, he opened and held it for her with a deep bow. "Thank you for the visit, Queen. I hope I can expect one another time."

"Yes," she responded with a hidden smile, "You can be certain. I rather enjoyed it. Good day."

"Good day, Queen."

As she stepped out and felt the door close behind her, her body greedily dranked in the warm air. She hadn't realized just how cold her body was. 'That was certainly interesting. I wonder if Remarri is anything as unique. If so, I just might be able to find some enjoyment inside this fortress.'

* * *

><p>Everything was deathly quiet in the Segunda Espada's palace. The kitchen, the living room, and everywhere else was vacant, except for one place. The bedroom.<p>

Now, Stark may be the second most powerful arrancar in the army, but he only cared about that because there were only two things he truly loved. Lilinette.. and sleep. In his bedroom, one could always find him sleeping in his freetime.

Sprawled out on several large cushions, the Segunda was snoozing away as usual, and luckily for him, Lilinette was off playing somewhere else. He couldn't have asked for anything better. Lilinette had been adamant about getting back to a hundred percent since she was allowed to leave the hospital. Those multiple Gran Rey Ceros took their toll on her and left her with a couple of scars on her stomach and chest. Stark had made sure that she rested enough, which she reluctantly complied with...for about a week.

After that, Stark had promised to never try that again. No buts about it. However, she was well and away now. Stark rolled onto his side, subconsciously smacking his lips. He was so content right than...that is till someone started knocking on the door and the unmistakable sound of Neliel's voice ranged out through the palace, easily reaching his ears.

"Stark-sama! Yoo-whooo! It's me, Neliel, the Quatro! Stark, you there! Are you sleeping still!"

She kept talking and eventually Stark forced one eye open. 'What? What is she doing here?" He yawned and stretched his arms out and slowly..and I mean slowly..got up. Not bothering to fix up his appearance, he sludgingly made his way to the door.

When he cracked it open, he saw a bunch of turqoise-green hair and a cartoonish skull on top of it. Neliel turned around and he saw the rest of her beautiful features: her small nose, large, grey eyes, two red markings under her eyes, and as always, a smile.

"Neliel..Do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked lazily.

She giggled childishly. "Silly Stark, you're always sleeping. I just wanted to come by and visit. You're one of the nicest guys here and I just haven't seen you lately."

He was a little surprised by the unexpected visit, and he would be lying if he said there were more friendlier Espada to talk too. The rest either hated her for being a female and having a stronger rank, or just didn't care at all.

"Uhh...well, come in then, if you'd like," he offered, tiredly ruffling his brown hair.

"Thanks!" she exclaimed unrealistically excitedly. She almost ran his ass over skipping in. He had to dive to the side to avoid the voluptious Espada.

"No problem," he said, sweatdropping. He closed the door, but when he turned around, Nel was already gone from sight. "Oh great, I've got an older, stronger Lilinette on the loose in here."

* * *

><p>"DAMMIT!"<p>

A massive office table crashed through the doors of the Eleventh Division captain's office. It continued to fly outwards and into a wall. The large desk shattered into a thousand splinters as the section of the wall where it hit crumbled away.

Everyone knew that when Captain Zaraki was pissed, they should evacuate just about the entire division barracks and the surrounding facilities. The only ones ever aloud to go near him where either other captains, save for Byakuya Kuchiki, and his adopted daughter, Yachiru. That being said, Yachiru was currently the only being within said evacuated area.

The young, pink haired firecracker was sitting outside her Ken-chan's office with an actual look of worry. She'd seen him like this before, but she always knew what was the problem. However, this time she had no idea, and that's what has her scared.

The man of her thoughts raised his fist and smashed a hole into one of his office's walls, which immediately collapsed after he pulled his hand out. Said man was going insane. And it all started when he saw that girl, that human girl whose death caused that Malik to beat the shit out of Soifon. There was just something about her. She seemed so familiar, like he's known her for a while.

"Her hair...her skin color...her FUCKING FACE! I've seen her somewhere before!" He yelled out as he pulled on two of his hair spikes. 'But worst of all...WHY THE FUCK DID I SENSE MY OWN DAMN SPIRITUAL PRESSURE IN HER!' His head felt like exploding as her face, along with the face of someone else, flashed rapidly before his very eyes.

"GOD! AGHHH DAMMIT!"

He finally lost what little control he had left and ripped his eye patch off, unleashing his full power. The explosion of reiatsu from his body destroyed everything within fifty yards around him, namely the entire 11th division barracks. Yachiru was now extremely worried about Ken-chan. He never took off his eye patch unless he was fighting a really, really, REALLY strong opponent.

Just wanting to help him, she hopped up on his shoulders and hugged him around his neck. "Ken-chan, why so angry? You're making me worry!"

Luckily, her words got through to him. His eyes glanced over at the shaking form on his shoulder and they softened up. Though his spiritual pressure was still massive, Yachiru felt the tension leave his body slowly. He took a few deep, shuddering breaths and plopped down on his butt. Yachiru still kept her hug on his neck.

"I'm sorry, Yachiru. I'm just losing it today."

Yachiru hopped down into his lap and looked up at him, her smile now back in place. "What were you angry about, Ken-chan?"

The large man roughly patted her head. He looked down at her and gave a small smile, than returned to his neutral expression. "I can't really say for sure. That Fran's face keeps flashing before my eyes. I have seen thousands of dead bodies before, but only one has ever made me so...not me. How much do you remember of me telling you about Yachiru, the woman who I named you after?"

Yachiru focused really hard, and poor girl, you could see the strain on her face. "Uhhh...ummm...not much, except that she was the only girl you ever admired. You had a crush on her, didn't you?"

Her question caused his jaw to drop for the slightest second, than he smiled. "What are you talking about? This is you Ken-chan you're talking about. Still, you're right about one thing. She was the only person I had ever admired back than."

"Can you tell me about her?" she asked. Hoping for a nice story, she pulled out a small bag of candy and had it standing by. Kenpachi's face turned to one of deep thought for a few moments, before he shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And that's it for this chapter. This is your Christmas present. Like I said, this was mainly just a filler for later chapters. Important fillers, might I add. So, you've gotten a look into some of the fraccion groups, as well as Remarri and Mosinguelle. Why is Halibel interested in them two? Might be something important, might not be. I'll reveal that much later.

Also, there was a little bit more stuff with Fran. I figure since I made the sad mistake of forgetting about her in the earliest chapters, I'll make the next chapter a bigger filler. It'd be a look into her and Malik's relationship, since that picture is a little fuzzy. Also, Kenpachi will tell about the original Yachiru. I haven't found anything on the original Yachiru, except for what Zaraki said after his first fight with Ichigo. That being said, I'll have to make up something. Also, why has Fran's dead image haunted the normally unbreakable Kenpachi. I'll give more clues so you can piece them together next chapter.

Till than, so long, and PLEASE REVIEW. That's all I'm asking for for Christmas.


	11. Chapter 11

A Child's Journey

Chapter 10

**AN: **Thank you all for the attention you've continued to give my story. It means a bunches to me, as I'm sure you know. My story is over 3,300 views, with 17 reviews, 1C2, 22 favs, and 11 story alerts. Thank you.

Alrighty, well last chapter, I said that this chapter was just going to be a filler with flashbacks and stuff. THe only thing that's changing is the amount of flashbacks that'll be in this chapter. I don't want to give away everything in one chapter, now do I? There'll be more in later chapters.

Disclaimer: Sorry to everyone about my cussing in the AU last chapter. I was really mad. Anyways, I don't own Bleach or any of its canon characters.

* * *

><p>Malik and Yoruichi had traveled non-stop, despite the Soul Society captains having already given up the chase.<p>

"We're well past the range of their long range reiatsu scanners by now. That's the downside for them for having most of their sensors clustered over Karakura Town," she said. "The rest are scattered over the rest of the South Eastern portion of Asia, including the Phillipines and northern Australia, but they are few and far."

Since than, they have traveled pass several villages, towns, and geological terrains, ranging from hills and plains, to forests and lakes, and even inlets from the Pacific Ocean. From what Malik could tell, they had covered a good couple hundred miles.

When they had arrived at the great Pacific, he was awed. He'd never seen the ocean in person before. His eyes felt overwhelmed by its shear size and beauty. The smell of the salty breeze was new, yet he greedily sucked up as much as he could. He stood in the water for a couple of minutes, letting the waves lap up onto his legs and the wind blow water and sand particles against him. It was close to light now, but the sun had yet to break the horizon.

"Yoruichi-sama, this is incredible. I've never seen the ocean before. It's so big."

He looked over and saw that she was taking her time enjoying the new sight and weather as well. She had her eyes closed and arms held out as if to catch the wind like a sail. Said wind was blowing her hair up behind her since she had let it out of its ponytail a while ago. When he had asked his question, she slowly opened her eyelids and looked towards him with her golden eyes, a sight that took his breath away.

She gave him a small smile. "Yes, it is. I don't get to come here as often as I'd like. We can stay for a little while longer before we continue on. If that's alright with you of course, with all that's happened."

He shuddered at the memory of Fran's body lying lifeless as it popped up. He was torn. He'd never felt pain like that before. He didn't expect himself to get over this current feeling of loneliness and heartache anytime soon.

A larger wave slammed into his chest, making a slapping sound. The sudden chilly water made his hair rise and goosebumps sprout across his body. He shivered for a second as his body adjusted to the feel of the wind sweeping across his now wet form. A small flock of seagulls flew above them, calling out to each other as they search the waters and sands for food. The wind picked up, covering the whole area with a rushing sound. As he processed and felt all of these things, he managed to smile.

"This feels nice. I think it'd help to stay for a little bit." He looked back over at where Yoruichi was, but she was gone. He then felt a pair of warm arms wrapping around his bare chest. This was soon followed by Yoruichi's forehead resting against his shoulderblades and the press of her large breasts against his back. He blushed at the contact but didn't say anything.

"It's going to be alright, Malik. Take all the time you need. You're not alone, so if you want to let loose some emotions that don't involve hurting me, I'm here for you," she gently spoke, chuckling a little bit as she said the last part.

Her action surprised him; not that she was hugging him, but that she was doing it with clothes on for once. And she wasn't pressing against him in any sexually intended manner. His normal defense of pushing away from her didn't activate. He didn't know why.

He felt a single stream of tears snake its way down his left cheek. As soon as it got halfway, it combusted like all the others before. Apparently, she noticed his lack of resistance as well, and let a big smile spread over her face, unseen by Malik.

With a little squeeze, she coxed him into leaning more against her. Though if one who'd heard of her and seen the two like that, he/she would have said that she's trying to use his emotional distress to her advantage. But, Yoruichi at the moment didn't care about trying to trick her way into his pants. She's only tried that four times, give her some credit. She was strictly doing this for support cuz she knows what it feels like to lose someone special.

Malik enjoyed the comfortable post his teacher has apparently made herself into. He noticed with a bit of irony that he was accepting so peacefully the embrace of the woman who was usually trying to lean on him all the time. He chalked up some points for her for being sincere. She was showing him a whole-nother side. He liked her this way.

"Thank you, Yoruichi-sama." He couldn't think of anything else to say, but he felt that that much was called for.

There was a few minutes of silence between the two as she held him from behind before she spoke again, her question coming out of nowhere.

"What was she like? What kind of person was Fran like? How'd you two meet?"

He looked back at her from over his shoulder right into her golden orbs. Her face showed that she was genuinely interested. If she was, than why would he not tell her. "She...was the first person outside of my family that I ever loved."

He noticeably shook with emotion as the memories came flooding back to him. However, he felt her squeeze him a bit tighter, reminding him that she was there for him. He greatly appreciated that. "Well, it all started when I saw her in the hall while I was at my locker. She was minding her own business, not doing anything to attract wanted attention. Unfortunately, she took great pride in her body and wasn't ever nervous about it. That being said, sometimes she was oblivious to her not-so-subtle clothing, and it just happen to catch three jackasses' attentions."

He chuckled slightly at the what had happened next, making Yoruichi more interested in the story. "I heard them say some very inappropriate things about her, behind her back. Next thing I knew, I saw red. I approached them and made them regret it. She, of course, was oblivious to what the whole fight was about, but eventually rumors spread soon after that and she felt obligated to come to my house and thank me."

"Well, aren't you just a gentleman in shining armor on a white horse? You do that for every girl?" she asked teasingly.

"She wasn't 'any girl'," he answered.

His mind drifted back to when she first came over.

_She knocked on the door and he answered it, expecting anyone but her. He clearly remembered what she wore, and knew why some guys would say the things they did. She had decided to wear a blue-jean mini-skirt that came a couple of inches below the lowest curve of her bottom, and she had a white, sleeveless, button-up shirt that hugged her and was unbotton at the top to show some cleavage, but not enough to be considered slutty or inappropriate by any means._

_If her skin tone would have been white, like most other girls in his school, it probably would've been considered a poor choice of clothing, or you'd have to be really pretty to pull it off, but her tanned latino skin brought out the shirt perfectly and the blue-jeans were nice, but they still didn't do her justice._

_She looked at him with her red left eye for a few seconds, before blushing slightly and avoiding his stare by taking interest to something on the ground. 'A cute guy's staring at you, but he's really nice. Don't freak out. Quick, don't let him know you're blushing! Think! Think! Oh hey, what a cute catepillar.' She brushed the concealing bang back with the rest of her hair and he lost his breath. How is it that he has never really noticed her till now? _

_"Hi, Malik-san. I'm Fran. I just wanted to come by and say thank you for what you did for me today...beating up those guys and all." She spoke so softly, like there wasn't an ill or mean bone in her body. "I don't like it when people do that just because I wear what feels good. I'm sorry that you got in trouble for me."_

_He still stood there, speechless. He didn't know he was still staring like a fool, and it was causing her to blush more. 'So cute.' _

It took a nudge from Yoruichi's chin on his back to bring him out of his daydream. He felt something wet against his lips and when he brought a hand up and rubbed the wetness, he saw his own blood. He chuckled at how he just nosebleeded without knowing it.

**'On with the story, Romeo**,' Gabriel spoke up.

He was about to tell him to shut up but Dragira beat him to the punch. "_**Quiet, Gabriel. Let him remember these memories. They're all he has right now. Please continue, child.'**_ She said most of it sincerely, but she made sure to sound out child, most likely to tease him still.

"Sorry about that, Yoruichi. Well, that was when we first actually talked to each other. We already knew a little about each other but not enough to even be considered knowledgeable. After that, the rest was history."

"Well, if it's not a bother, I'd like to know that history," she said.

This drew a questioning look from her student. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"I just want to know how that girl succeeded in getting past your wall of resistance," she answered. He laughed softly at that.

"Well, maybe she didn't make it her personal mission to approach me naked all the time or try to seduce me every chance she got," he said, facepanning. "You'd have a better chance if I knew you were actually interested in something more than sating your hunger for cruel, sexual humor and blood."

He hinted towards his nose when he said blood. She let out a loud, exaggerated laugh before leaning up towards his ears. "You know you like it," she accused teasingly. "Besides, who's to say I'm not trying that now?" She purred after saying, causing him to blush madly, but he still kept his composure.

"Because, I know you're not that type of person to take advantage of me at a time like this," he said confidently. "I'm getting good at telling when you're serious or not. And..just so you know...I'm glad you're being a friend now. That means alot to me." 'Maybe it won't be a while.'

He turned around and gave her a tight hug, surprising the Shihoin woman. However, she immediately adjusted to the action and returned it just as tight. They stayed there like that for a few more minutes before she broke it apart.

"We should get going," she started. "Kisuke and Tessai will be waiting."

She vanished in shunpo and he was quick to follow. When he caught up with her, he noticed they were going further out into the ocean. Just over the horizon, the outline of a small, mountainous island could be seen.

"So, Yoruichi-sama, what are we going to do now?"

He saw his teacher concentrate in deep thought for a few moments before she answered with a sigh. "Well, we know what to do right now and for the next little while. After we've got settled in, we can continue your training. You'd be surprised how much Tessai and Kisuke have been holding back. And if they ever find us again, we'll just fight them off."

He wasn't content with that answer. "So, we're just gonna spend the rest of our lives hiding?"

"No," she said sternly. "You've got too much potential to waste away hiding. Plus, I'm a super hot, young woman; I can't hide from the world just yet. This is one cat the world would stop spinning for if something happened to."

He sweatdropped again. He knew she actually meant what she said. "Just trust me, Malik. We're not gonna stay on the run forever. You do trust me, right?"

She looked over her shoulder at him and was happy that he was atleast looking back at her; a sign of some trust. "Hai, Yoruichi-sama. I do."

* * *

><p>When the duo finally arrived at their new 'home', Malik was surprised, more or less.<p>

Instead of just something like Kisuke's old shop, there were four two story buildings set out in a square, with each being a corner. There was a fifth large building in the center, towering over the others at five stories. They were all similar in appearance, with angled roofs, four windows on each floor of each side, two doors, each leading towards the buildings at their adjacent corners, and surrounded by grass, with trees spread out here and there.

Outside of the square, there was a wall about forty yards out, that was about ten feet tall and three feet wide. Outside of those walls, there were endless forests with several mountain ranges beginning about two thousand meters out. The mountains were no more than about a mile or two high. There were trees all along the lower half of them.

"Wow, Kisuke really knows how to choose'em," he said, breaking the silence. Yoruichi just nodded.

"Yeah, it took some bit of time to actually pick a spot, and then to build it. Why do you think Kisuke and Tessai never saw me often." She looked at him with a confident smirk. He caught it.

"You built this!" he asked, stunned.

"Yeap. Took me a couple of months, not including the walls. They were a real bitch. There's seki-seki stones spread throughout its structure, making its destruction by a spiritual attack slim, but not impossible."

"What's so special about seki-seki stone?"

"It negates any spiritual powers. The Sereitei's walls are made completely of it, forming a protective barrier not only over the city, but also underneath it as well. It's virtually impossible to break into."

Malik quickly understood the meaning of its use here. Yoruichi took into account the possibility of an attack by either Soul Society or hollows. 'Very smart woman. Thinks years ahead. Got brains and looks.'

**'So this is where you'll be staying. Not bad,**' Gabriel said.

**'_It is quite beautiful_**,' Dragira commented as well.

'What do you mean by 'you'll', Gabriel? You go where I go.'

Malik's question and statement's accuracy was questionable as Gabriel gave a quick laugh.

**'You forget, I'm in here. The place has gotten a few add-ons since that soul bond. And thanks to our darling, Dragira, here, I've got somebody to keep me company**.'

Malik could only assume Gabriel tried something, cuz Dragira responded with venom in her words.

_**'Hey, Gabrie**_**l, that's a really nice tatoo**,_'_she said, referring to the wings on the zanpakutou's back.

**'So, you like it, do you**?' he asked.

'**_Yes,' _**she said. Malik felt something sinister in her voice. '_**Tell me, how much would it hurt if I ripped it from your body**?'_

Gabriel didn't respond after that. Malik wouldn't have either if she had directed that question at him. 'Dragira, I think you scared him away.'

**'NONSENSE**,' he stormed. **'I'm not afraid. I'm just not stupid; a trait I'm pleased you inherited. You know as well as I do how dangerous an angry woman is. Remember when Yoruichi thought you were laughing at her efforts in beating the crap out of you?**'

A picture of Yoruichi walking towards him, her eyes literally fire, fists clenched, and teeth razor-sharp, flashed in the background of his mind. "_Get ready, Malik, cuz here I come!"_ Malik, all shrunk back and terrified, could be seen trembling beneath her.

Apparantly, he was trembling in real life, cuz Yoruichi noticed it. "You all right, Malik?"

Her voice caused him to let out a less than manly "Huh?" as he about broke his neck facing her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just talking with a couple of people up in here." He gestured with a tapping of his finger against his head to make his answer clearer.

She stared at him for a few more seconds, seeing if there was any doubt, but saw none.

_**'Hmmmm, you're pretty smart, Gabriel. There just might be hope for you yet'** _she sneered.

'Alright, calm down you two. I don't want a cataclysmic battle between two powerful zanpakutou spirits going off in my head.'

**'It's not your head, Malik. It is your mindscape. Big difference,'** Gabriel corrected, making Malik aggrivated.

'Mind. Mindscape. Same difference!' he mentally yelled. After he said that, he finished with a big sigh. 'Let's just get settled in. I'm too tired.'

'**_Let's let him rest, Gabriel. He has much to deal with as it_ is,"** she ordered, effectively ending it there.

With that, the two voices went away and Malik could once again focus on this world. He and Yoruichi finally landed just outside the wall, in front of a heavy lookin' iron gate. In the corner that she was focused at, there was a small indention in it. The Shihoin crest. She pushed the crest further into the gate and an audible click was heard.

Immediately following it was the gate splitting into two as it opened in towards the compound.

"Welcome to our new home, Malik. I'm sure you'll find it more comfortable than that poor excuse for a candy shop you're use to."

They laughed at the mockery of Urahara's shop. It was called a shop, but the man never got any customers. I mean, how could he? The place was isolated in the middle of nowhere. What is a shop if you can't sell anything?

Their laughing was interrupted, however, but a large shadow falling over Malik. He turned around yelped in surprise as Tessai wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. "Malik-san, I am so happy you are alright. I couldn't help but feel concerned when we left you and Yoruichi with all of those captains."

As the bear hug continued, Malik was shedding out waterfalls of tears in pain. 'Dear God, Tessai is a monster!'

"Tessai, I think you can let go now," Yoruichi said. The large man released his hold on Malik, causing said boy to fall into a heap on the ground. Ignoring the condition he was in, Tessai calmly adjusted his glasses.

"Please forgive me, Malik-san."

"Eeehhhhhh..." was all that came from him, causing Yoruichi to sweatdrop.

"Since you're responsible, you get to carry him, Tessai," she said.

The big man nearly nodded and slung Malik over his shoulder like a hunter does his kill.

"Aw, good to see you finally made it, Yoruichi." The voice belonged to none other than Kisuke Urahara himself.

She turned around and saw him looking at her from behind his fan. She wouldn't have thought it strange, except he wasn't waving it like he usually did. "What's up with you, Kisuke?"

The man's eyes widen slightly and she knew something was up. 'Damn, she noticed so fast! Oh God, I'm in deep shit now.' "Ugh, nothing, Yoruichi. Why you ask?"

"Cuz you always wave your fan, never hold it still. It looks like you're trying to hide something." She snatched his fan down and saw blood dripping steadily from his nose. His face turned red slightly. "What the Hell? What's got you worked up, you horn dog?"

She looked at herself and saw the answer. Her already skin tight outfit was still soaked from when she was in the water, and even a blind man could see her round mounds poking through the outfit.

"Kisuke, you perve," she said, not that all concerned about it. "That's why you never get far with women," she commented. She turned away and made sure to swing her hips out an extra couple of inches just to make her insult hit harder.

"Aw, Yoruichi, why do you have to be so blunt?" he asked in a whining tone as she retreated victoriously to her building. Her comment had hit home.

* * *

><p>Kenpachi had taken Yachiru outside of the Sereitei. One wouldn't have to travel all that distance normally to find a private place to talk, but he enjoyed the walk. Yachiru was quite impatient and had been asking questions non-stop; something he'd grown use to over the decades.<p>

"Are we there yet?" she asked over his shoulder.

"No," he said flatly.

_ten seconds later_

"Are we there yet?" she asked again_._

"No," he grumbled, his eye slightly sagging_._

_ten more seconds later_

"Are we there yeeeetttt?" she asked_._

"No! We'll get there when we get there!" he bellowed. Apparently no amount of time passed would a person be immune to Yachiru_._

They walked for a little bit passing through the Rukon district. There were many kids playing about with some adults chatting and enjoying the day as they tried to tidy up their homes. This continued for several hours till they stopped at the border of the Rukon district 80, known as Zaraki. Yachiru seemed eager to visit their old home district. She showed her enthusiasm by laughing and clapping her hands.

"Hey, Kenny-chan, you didn't tell me we were visiting Zaraki!"

He rolled his eyes, which went oblivious to the young girl. He took another step and they entered their former home, which was where Kenpachi had found Yachiru when she was just a baby. He had just got done killing dozens of thugs and murderers and was sitting on a log, when she crawled up to his sword, giggling and smiling without a care in the world.

(begin flashback)

_"What are you doing here, child?"_

_Yachiru placed her hand on his bloodied sword, which now coated her hand in blood. _

_"Don't play with that. You'll hurt yourself," he said._

_She looked at the blood on her hand and started laughing. "Yeeehhhh..hahaHA haha.."_

_"Are you not afraid of me?"_

_She looked up at him with her big round eyes and gave him a big smile as an answer. _

_"What's your name, little one?" _

_She didn't know it, but he could tell she was thinking hard. He frowned at this._

_"I know the feeling, not having a name. Watching as everyone around you has their own. In that case, I'll give you the name Yachiru. It was the name of the only person I ever respected."_

_The girl, now dubbed Yachiru, clapped happily, with made Kenpachi smile just the slightest. "And I shall go by Kenpachi Zaraki."_

(end flashback)

"I wanted to surprise you. This was where I also met the woman I named you after."

Her big eyes widen. "Wow...so are you gonna tell me the story now? We've been walking forever!" she whined.

Kenpachi didn't answer her, which only drove her crazier. But she knew that once he decided on something, it was final. If he wasn't gonna tell her now, there's nothing she can do about it. "Hmph," she flattened out over his shoulder like a carcass.

About twenty more minutes went by and aside from the numerous glares and suspicious looks the odd duo received, they were uneventful. Yachiru was just about to start talking again when the quiet giant stopped walking, which broke her out of her coma of boredom.

Kenpachi was facing a shadowed alleyway between two very dilapidated buildings. The alley had trash scattered throughout it, nothing more. Yachiru's curiosity finally got the better of her.

"Why we stopping, Kenny-chan?"

Said man's eyes were shut closed and a few deep breaths were the only signs of him alive. He stood there for a minute. Yachiru was starting to worry about him again, cuz she had no idea why he was acting like he was. He's been different ever since they came back from the world of the living.

"This..." he started, " was where I first met Yachiru."

(flashback)

_Kenpachi Zaraki, who at the time a nameless man, silently walked through the crowded streets. He would cast an occasional glance up at the people, most going about their own business, but for the most part, he faced the ground. _

_'All of these people...they seem so happy. They have something to work for. What do I have? What is there for me to work for? All I know is fighting, because it's the only time I'm ever happy. Yet these people are happy, and they don't fight. What am I missing?'_

_"Hold still, you bitch!"_

_His eyes darted towards the source of the vulgar demand. He could vaguely see the silhuettes of atleast five men struggling against something. Their faces were obscurred by the night sky, in addition to them being in a nasty alley. There was another person on the ground, whom the guy who talked before was currently trying to mount as his goons struggled to hold her down._

_A cloud moved from in front of the moon and the alley was slightly illuminated. Not much to make a significant difference. The only thing he could see were the whites of their eyes. He was about to turn away when the person being held down spoke rasply. "Please...help.."_

_He looked over at the voice, identifying it as a woman's. Didn't make a difference either. But..something caught his attention. Her eyes. They stared into his pleadingly. He could see every emotion she was feeling. It was a sight that would make most feel guilty if they didn't help. He would've normally turned away than, like he had so many times before._

_That's correct. This wasn't the first time he's come across a crime like this. This was, afterall, the 80th district of the Rukongai; the worst district of all the Soul Society. You would find no worse bunch of criminals anywhere else. This place had them all: thieves, murderers, con-artists, thugs...and rapists. How people like them ever got into the Soul Society was a mystery to him. He couldn't really say he was much better._

_Back into reality, he stared back into her eyes. They were a brilliant crimson color. He had never seen eyes like those before. For a moment, he considered helping her, but to what purpose? Because it's the right thing to do? Haha, the nameless Kenpachi was hardly one to uphold moral justice._

_Much to the victim woman's despair, he brought his eyes back to the ground and continued walking, completely ignoring the ugly thing the men were about to do to her. Why should he care? It was none of his business. Nobody would notice if he intervened. It wouldn't change anything. _

_'Nothing worth wasting energy over.' _

_He was about two houses down when he heard a shriek that was quickly muffled. He stopped walking. He thought he was seeing ghosts, as ironic as that sounds. In front of him, he saw those eyes staring right back into his. They were full of confusion and pain and fear. He closed his eyes to close them out, but there they were again, inside of his eyelids, looking at him._

_The stare was disturbing him, and that was saying something. He felt his entire inner being crumble beneath the weight of emotions. It was something he wasn't use to, and he wanted it to stop._

_He took a calm, deep breath and walked back to the alley, where the guy had successfully mounted the woman and he and his friends were laughing like nothing was wrong. Kenpachi brought his zanpakutou down where the tip was just touching the ground._

_"Hey..get off of her."_

_The sudden voice got their attention. The woman opened her eyes and they widened when they saw the man who had just abandoned her a few seconds ago. He was a pale skinned man with shoulder length black hair. His body, which looked very strong, had dozens of scars on them, undoubtably from countless fight. The twisted snarl on his face showed that he was clearly pissed off._

_Not liking some random dude interrupting his fun, the man that was on her got up and pulled out an 8-inch knife. His goonies followed his example and pulled out a variety of weapons: a 2x4 with nails sticking out of it, a zanpakutou, another knife, and a shank made out of wood. _

_'You've got to be kidding me.'_

_He huffed in annoyance. This wasn't going to be fun at all. In fact, he could probably do this with just one hand. And that's just what he did. The supposed leader charged him, but the next second, there was a half of him on both sides of the alley. The sudden slaying caused some nearby people to shriek in surprise and the everyone quickly gave the large man plenty of room._

_The other four guys came out of the alley and made a semi-circle around him. The one with the wooden shank lept forward, but a fist from Kenpachi smashed his nose up into his skull. The assailant fell onto his back and jerked spastically for a couple of more seconds before going still. The next two to try their luck were the ones with the sword and the 2x4. With an upward swing of his zanpakutou, Kenpachi cleaved off the man's arm right at the bicept. _

_He stepped back to avoid a downward swing from the other zanpakutou wielder, but he misjudged the length of the swing and paid the price. There were some collective gasps as the zanpakutou's edge was coated in blood, as was Kenpachi's face. However, if one was to go by reactions, they would think Kenpachi didn't even register the cut that now ran the length of his head over his left eye. In fact, he looked bored._

_"You cut me in the head with a sword and that's the best you can do? Pa-thetic."_

_Infuriated, the man came at Kenpachi again, but this time the loner was ready. Instead of just dodging, Kenpachi lifted his hand and caught the blade, much to the shock and horror of everyone. With just the slightest strain, he twisted his hand and snapped the blade in half. Before the criminal could comprehend what just happened, Kenpachi's zanpakutou impaled his entire head straight from right between the eyes._

_As he let the body fall and pulled out his blade, he turned his attention to the fifth and last criminal. Said man was sweating bucket loads and his legs were shaking. The woman they were assaulting from before was standing just behind him, so he took his only advantage. Her eyes widened in fear as the man came up behind her and held the knife to her throat._

_"D-don't come any closer, yu-you monster!"_

_Kenpachi was in a pickle here. The whole point of this valiant deed was so he could save her and all those damned emotions would leave his body. He was contemplating what to do, but than he saw something...beautiful. Her eyes...were no longer filled with fear, or confusion, or pain. He saw something in them that he imagined only ever existed in his eyes when he found a good bloodbath._

_Rage. _

_Scorn._

_Hatred._

_Animalistic, murderous, anger._

_He found the sight to be a slight turn-on, but that was his sadistic side speaking. He noticed that she was subtly inching a small rock, one she had picked up while everyone was focused on the fight, and saw her hand clench around it tight. _

_"Poor bastard."_

_"What was that?" the man yelled, slowly dropping the knife from the woman's back._

_She took that moment to turn around and smash the rock into the side of his head. Kenpachi gave a slight whistle at the blow, which sent a mist of blood into the air. The guy fell to a knee and she smashed it to his head again, this time breaking clean through the skull. She started yelling profanities at him as she continued crushing his entire head. Kenpachi didn't know it, but he had a grin that was getting larger by the second, especially when he could see brain matter spill onto the ground._

_After about the fifthteenth blow, the woman finally stopped. Standing up on shaky legs, she slowly turned to face him. Her face was covered in blood, most belonging to the man she just righteously stoned. She looked up at his face, which was bloody as well from that one cut over his eye, and smiled, despite what she had just went through._

_Normally, he guessed, a woman who had just gone through what she had would've started crying. Weaklings. That's how he felt about them. But this woman, she didn't mind the blood on her face and hands, or the troubling experience she just went through. She was smiling._

_She dropped the rock that was in her hand and slowly walked up to him. He was slightly impressed that she didn't seem at all nervous. A large, sword-wielding man with scars usually gave off the 'look at me wrong and I'll fuck you up' vibe._

_She came up to his chin. She was tall, compared to the majority of women. Her face was slightly caked in dirt and blood, which made a sort of red mud. Her hair was a brown color, and it went to her mid-back. He saw some strips of white in it, but didn't think anything of it._

_"Thank you," she spoke, without a hint of nervousness or fear, but calm and serene. "I am in your debt, Mr..."_

_"I aint got a name, miss." He didn't really care about politeness. Such a thing wasn't expected in Zaraki. The woman didn't seem to mind though, in fact, she just gave him another smile. "If I'm in your debt, than how about you don't make me feel the way I did when I walked away. I don't like it and it's the only reason why I helped."_

_The woman looked confused. "Feelings? What are you talking about?"_

_Kenpachi gave a slight scoff. "When I made eye contact with you as I first came by, you looked at me in a way. When I was going away, I kept seeing your eyes and felt uncomfortable. I could even see it in my mind. It was driving me crazy. I figure since you're the one who started them, you can make them go away."_

_The woman obviously looked surprised, if the slightly widening of her eyes were any indication. After a few moments though, she had an idea of what it was and chuckled softly, than looked at him with some pity. He tried hard not to feel insulted by the look. "Why the hell you looking at me like that?"_

_The woman placed a hand flat over his chest, causing him to involuntarily jerk from the strange gesture. All who have ever put their hands on him have only ever done so in order to cause him pain. His eyes were like hawk's as she stood there. 'She doesn't look like she wants to harm me. But that's no excuse to let my guard down. I don't she can even scratch me.'_

_"Mr., I think what you're feeling is emotion."_

_The disbelieving look on his face would've been a sight to remember by anyone of the Gotei 13 who'd know him in the future. "That just means that you're not a monster like most of these people are."_

_The disbelieving look only grew at her words. 'Did she really just say I wasn't a monster?' "What the hell kind of theory is that? Of course, I am. That's all I've ever been."_

_The pitying look in her eyes only increased with every word he said, which each additional denial of the truth, with the self-perceived idea of what he was. "No, you are not. You proved that by saving me because you felt affected by what was happening."_

_He just couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had this woman gone mad? She must be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. She'd just been through a mind-numbing, fear inducing, near tragedy. There was just one question he really wanted to know. "What's your name, woman?"_

_She smiled warmly up at him. 'He didn't deny it that time. That's a start.' "My name is Yachiru." _

(end flashback)

"Wow, Kenny-chan, what happened next?" Yachiru asked enthusiastically from atop his shoulder. However, Kenpachi noticed the going down of the sun and turned away from the alley. "Wha-, hey! Where are we going?"

"It will be your bedtime by the time we get back to the Sereitei. Plus, we're gonna have to find a place to sleep, since I destroyed the 11th division barracks. I will continue the story another day. I promise," he stated.

The pink energy ball let out a small whine of protest but left it at that. She soon laid back into the bend between his adoptive-father's head and shoulder and slowly dozed off. The large captain gave a soft smile as he started his long return to the division.

* * *

><p>In the arid desert of Hueco Mundo, a trail of blood from deceased hollow bodies snakes its way along the dunes and flatlands. The more recent blood can still be seen above the sand, as for the blood at the beginning of the trail, it has long since soaked into the ground and been covered by blowing sand.<p>

Following the trail, a loud commotion can be heard as loud battle cries and explosions rip through the air. Dozens of figures, large and small, can be seen circling around a single finger. In the middle was the once Fran, her semi-humanoid hollow form now taking the form of a large, bipedal cat. However, at the moment, she was on all fours, poised to react to the next attack. Her body was taking a more feline appearance with every hollow she consumed.

Along her body and limbs, hundreds of small black dots litter her lithe, white frame. On her forearms and calves, there were several five inch spikes. Her hollow hole, cuz of her current stance, wasn't visible underneath the right side of her chest. A closer look and one can see that it's not her body that's white, but her fur, which was short and fuzzy. On her head was a great silver mane that flowed down her head. Her tail flicked agitatedly from side to side. Her slitted red eyes watched every movement her enemies made, every breath they made, and muscle twitch their bodies had.

'_Kill them all. You can not die here. He needs you.'_

_'_Yes. I won't die here. But who needs me?'

_'Just stay alive, and you will meet again_.'

'Again?' she thought curiously.

A lizard hollow exploded from his prone position towards her, teeth flashing, wanting to be the one to kill the infamous 'ghost cat'. She has only been heard of several hours ago, but she has already killed over a hundred hollows, mercilessly devouring all who opposed her. Word of her speed spread quickly throughout the dunes, only because a hollow bird flew to high for her to jump after witnessing several of her massacres.

He got within twenty feet of her before his body had a large hole in his chest. 'When? How?' were his last thoughts. He knew what was gonna happen. He shakily looked behind him where she now stood, fear and understanding in his eyes. Her leer froze him in his place. She raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.

His body exploded from the point of impact, leaving nothing but a charred lower torso. The others around him would've been shocked, but one by one, they started exploding as well. A few of last hollows noticed just before they blew up that they had claw gashes in their stomachs. How did she attack them all without any of them seeing it?

There was a circle of explosions of red reiatsu that spread about thirty feet from each body. As the blasts cleared away, Fran looked around with a bored expression, one that was once filled with glee from the fights. Not wanting to let the remains go to waste, she began devouring all of the bodies, about 34 of them to be exact, at an astonishing pace.

Remember back to what I said earlier about if someone who have been shocked at how she attacked them all if they were alive? Well, one was. He was watching with an emotionless expression from high above the feeding frenzy.

Ulquiorra had been sent out earlier to scour for hollows who'd make a good addition to Aizen's arrancar army. The first several hours, he assumed that his work was cut out for him, but low and behold, he made one fine discovery.

'So this is the 'ghost cat' he's heard so much about just today. Her speed is very impressive, that much is certain. It makes Zommari's sonido look like he's crawling on his stomach. Aizen will find her very useful. And she's obviously very deadly.'

He sonido-ed about twenty yards in front of her, just as she was finishing off the last hollow carcass. 'She ate all of them that fast?' He stood patiently as she finished her meal before speaking up.

"I am Ulquiorra Schifer, Ghost Cat. I come with an offer-"

before he could even finish what he had to say, she bolted off so fast, that there was a ghost image in her place. Ulquiorra would've kept on talking, but the only way he knew what had happened was that he sensed her reiatsu speeding away from him. What was that about catching a break?

He took off after her, easily being able to follow her reiatsu. Normally, he'd be able to catch a running hollow within a minute, but he was shocked to find that even in sonido, she was still putting distance between them.

'Most impressive, Ghost Cat.'

He knew when to give up. After just another minute, she was already out of his eyesight. He stopped and just watched as her form disappeared. He looked down and couldn't find a single track, despite the obvious fact that she ran on the surface.

"You are truly deserving of the name 'Ghost Cat.' Do well and stay alive."

With that, he disappeared in sonido, leaving behind a small static sound. He would report back to Aizen empty handed, of that he was sure he would receive a scolding. But..at the mentioning of 'Ghost Cat', surely his mood would become better. Perhaps Aizen would invest more arrancar into chasing her down. She would be a very valuable asset. If only he knew just how valuable Aizen considered her, in relation to his new prospect.

* * *

><p>Halibel had earlier today found Remarri Seto sonido-ing back and forth out in the sands of Los Noches. At first, she was wondering what he was doing, but after watching him for a few minutes, she finally understood his training.<p>

'Sonido-ing back and forth between two fixed positions, all the while trying to be faster the next time. A simple but effective method, undoubtably.'

She decided to watch him for the remainder of his training. However, interest turned into impatience as his kept going and going and going and going. Before she knew it, she had been sitting there for two hours. And finally, to her relief, he stopped.

Only to start a different training exercise.

He went from speed training to cero training. He formed a small ball of reiryoku, about the size of a softball, and threw it high into the air. He brought up his right arm and straightened it out like a rifle and held his wrist with his other hand. He steadily watched the ball become smaller and smaller before finally firing a green cero from his palm.

They both watched as the cero sped towards the ball of energy with amazing accuracy. About five seconds later, a large resounding explosion lit up the sky with a green hue before dying down. She watched silently as he repeated the process twenty more times before changing the cero lesson from accuracry to power. He brought up his left arm and made a cocking motion with his right hand.

"Cero: Shotgun."

He launched the cero, but instead of one beam like Tia was expecting, twelve ceros shot forth in a scattered pattern, about ten feet between each other. The beams continued before exploding in a dozen green blasts. She had never seen anything like that; the most similar being Stark's Cero: Metralleta and Gran Rey Cero: Infinito

He repeated his shotgun cero and regular ceros for about another hour before calling it a day. Imagine his surprise when he turned around and was face to face with the beautiful Primera. 'Why is she here?' he quickly wonder. He didn't recall doing anything that might have warranted her attention. What were her intentions?

Unhesitantly, he came to attention and brought his hand up, forming a perfect military salute. _"Primera, ma'am, I wasn't expecting a visit_."

She wasn't familiar with the language, nor the gesture and silently waited for him to drop it. She sweatdropped when he kept it there. Not only that, but he hadn't flinched a millimeter and his eyes remained focused ahead, not even looking at her, but past her figure. But his words, his spoke English, not Japanese. Luckily, she had found that Japanese-English dictionary in the library, or this meeting would be very ackward.

"_I am unfamiliar with the meaning of your gesture, Remarri-san. Please relax,_" she said in perfect English. She watched with intrigue as he crisply snapped his arm down to his side and relaxed, casually placing his hands together, one inside the other, behind the small of his back.

"_I am very unfamiliar with Japanese honorifics, ma'am, so I stick to what I do know. Whenever I meet a higher ranked officer, I come to attention and salute him/her. It is a show of respect and acknowledgement_," he answered clearly.

Her eyebrows rose at the strange custom, courtesy, whatever it was. Where had he learned it? "_May I ask the nature of this visit, ma'am_?"

She gave him a once-over, noting his large, muscular frame, not doubt holding much power. His taller frame casted a shadow over her form from the fake sun of the fortress, which made her feel small, despite the power difference between them. His hair was cut very short and was flat on top, making his scalp barely visible. Sandy blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled jaw; he was undoubtably a novelty among his people's women.

His mask fragment was a large shoulder plate that covered all of said area and reached a few inches past his joint. He was indeed an imposing arrancar. Surely his resurreccion would be just as fearsome. 'Hmmm, he seems very militaristic. I will probably have to talk in a manner to better get to know him.'

"_I've made it an objective to visit the Privaron Espada, to get to know my troops_."

She looked at him and was glad to receive a confirming nod, so she continued. "_You're the last one I haven't met. I've just finished visiting Mosinguelle. An interesting person, he is. Do you have any qualms about me visiting you_?"

She wasn't surprised by how formal his response was, but was caught off-guard by the volume he possessed. "_Absolutely not, ma'am! I am honored that have taken time from your duty to visit me_."

She quickly recovered herself, though Remarri himself hadn't noticed any change. That was one time to many, she felt. "_Listen, Remarri-san, I greatly appreciate the amount of respect you have for me in my position, but if I tell you you can relax, he can drop formalities. Am I understood?_"

For the first time, he gave her a smile, or to himself, an knowing smirk. "_Yes, ma'am. Thank you."_

"_May I ask where you learned such habits, Remarri_?" she asked, curiosity finally getting the better of her.

He nodded. "_I was a Marine stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, before I died_."

Her eyes widen. 'Another one who remembers their human life? What luck. What's a Marine?' She decided to ask her hidden question, and he responded proudly.

"_The Marines are the toughest bunch of S.O.B.'s in the United States military, or in the whole world. We're the first ones on the battlefield, and the last ones to leave. We never surrender. We fight to the last man if need be. We protect our nation and constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Once you become a Marine, you're always a Marine. Not even Death can sever that tie. Our saying is 'Semper Fidelis', which is latin for 'Always faithful.' We're brother from the beginning, and brothers until the end_."

"_That's enough, Remarri. I've got a clear picture of what a Marine is now_," she interrupted.

He stopped his long explanation and she could see the pride he took in it. To be able to tell someone that he's a Marine must be the best thing he can think of. Now, she understood his mannerisms more accurately, she didn't seem as flattered by his unnatural amount of respect. It was just hammered into him from the instructors for years and became second-nature.

"_Sorry for getting carried away, ma'am,"_ he said apologetically. She was about to tell him that there was nothing to be sorry for, but she looked him in the eye and saw through his mask. Though his face did an impeccable job of hiding it, he was grinning from ear to ear. He wasn't sorry. To this, she gave a small laugh.

"_You are such a liar_."

That smile disappeared, but when he saw the joking in her eyes, he smile openly this time. "_I thought I could fool ya, ma'am. Sorry 'bout that_."

His voice sounded strange. For the smallest moment, his accent seemed to have changed. Tia brushed it off as nothing. "_I must go now, Remarri-san. It was a pleasure meeting you. Keep up your training. You'll make Espada in no time."_

With that, she disappeared, heading to her palace. She's been gone for several hours, so there's no telling what her fraccion have destroyed. She wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a palace left.

Back at Remarri, he was amazed that she knew the purpose of his training. 'She's a sharp one. And her spiritual pressure was insane. Note to self: Stay on her good side.'

* * *

><p>Aizen entered Las Noches with his fellow captains, Gin and Kaname. Gin was surprisingly not himself at the moment, whining and complaining about all the paperwork he had to do today.<p>

"Honestly, why we have to do so much paperwork? My subordinates are always sending request to do this and do that! Were we ever that bad, Aizen-sama?"

Aizen gave a rare chuckle with no hidden meaning behind it other than for amusement. "You know, I'm not sure, Gin."

"Why are you complaining, Gin?" Kaname asked. "You get use to it."

Gin scoffed at him. "Yeah, right, Kaname. I bet'cha get your lieutanant to do it because you're blind as a bat."

"Lord Aizen," Ulquiorra spoke up from his kneeled position in front of them.

"Whoopsie, sorry 'bouts that, Ulquiorra. Didn't know you were there," he said, with a regretful look, but that soon disappeared behind his grin to next second.

"I took no offense to your remark, Gin-sama." His face was as emotionless as a rock, which would've made some people uneasy...but this is Gin we're talking about here. Nothing makes this guy uneasy.

"Ulquiorra, what have you to report," Aizen asked.

"I have been scouring the sands for more suitable hollows to be arrancarized, as requested, but I regret to inform you that I have both good and bad news."

"Oh really, and what would the good news be?" He had several soon to be unnecessary worries about the bad news.

"The good news is that despite not having found many hollows, I did come across one. Rumors were spread throughout Hueco Mundo of an adjuchas hollow that just appeared today."

Aizen's eyes shifted to his form, eyes widening a little. 'No way. Can it be?'

"They have called it the 'Ghost Cat.' It has killed over a hundred hollows already; I witness some of it myself."

With Aizen, he was growing more excited by the second. 'No way was it this easy. Impossible.' However, there was still the bad news. "And the bad news, Ulquiorra?"

The espada hesitated for a moment before replying. "When I attempted to approach her, she ran away. I attempted to pursue her, but her speed is unlike anything I've ever seen. What's more, I could no longer track her because she left no reiatsu trace or physical tracks. She truly is a 'Ghost Cat.'"

When he ended, the three captains were astonished. A regular adjuchas outrunning the Quinto espada? Amazing! "And what are your thoughts about its combat capabilities?"

"Very...effective, as she was able to kill three dozen hollows surrounding her without them ever seeing her attack. I, myself, had trouble seeing it."

'Can this really be the same hollow that Fran had turned into? The time of its appearance matches her death,' he figured.

"Aizen-sama, if you would like to catch her, I would advise investing more espada and corner her. Her ellusiveness is that notable," Ulquiorra stated.

Aizen had his answer already. "Yes, I will allow more Espada and Rudobon to aid you. You may leave and go choose whoever you see fit, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra was curious as to why he was just given such authority. If he didn't know better, he say Aizen knew more than he did. He saw that gleam in his eyes. Aizen was definately more interested in this one than he had with most of the arrancar, save for the top five Espada. "Hai, Aizen-sama."

The Quinto got up and disappeared in sonido. Gin was the next one to speak up. "Wow, Aizen, 'choose whoever you see fit'? You're quite certain that this 'Ghost Cat' is the hollow of that girl?

"Yes, Gin, I do," he responded immediately. "The time of her appearance in Hueco Mundo was this morning. How many other hollows do you know that evolve straight into an adjuchas and have appeared out of nowhere in Hueco Mundo?"

"I can't imagine many, Aizen-sama," Tousen spoke up, "but may I ask what is so special about this boy? Of practical value besides being human?"

Aizen smiled, letting them know that he knew something they didn't. "Because, aside from the fact that he now hates Soul Society, he was witholding a massive amount of power during his fight with Kenpachi. I don't know where he could store so much of it, but having him as an ally would be invaluable. Having him as an enemy would be asking for death."

"Ya believe he's that strong, do ya?"

"I do," he said, confidently. It was a confidence that would later turn into his greatest fear.

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><p>Halibel walked into the hall that led to her and her fraccion's rooms. She sighed as a whole list of possible scenarios of what her fraccion were doing ran through her mind. 'What can I expect this time? A hole in the wall? Two holes in the wall? Mila shaving Apache's head? If there is a devine being out there, head my prayers.'<p>

She was about to grab the door knob but a familiar reiatsu..correction, reiatsus popped up behind her. Imagine what was going through her mind when she turned around and saw Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Zomarri, and Neliel standing before her. Ulquiorra was as emotionless as ever, Grimmjow looked bored, Zomarri looked...Zomarri, and Neliel looked as cheerful as always.

"Hi'ya, Tia! Ulquiorra here has an important assignment from Aizen and he needs our help," she explained. She saw Tia raise an eyebrow at the number of Espada assigned to this mission. "Oh, well see, Ulqu-"

"-I believe I can speak for myself, Neliel," the espada interrupted. He wasted no time in explaining the mission details to Tia. He even went ahead and crushed his eye, to show them what had transpired with his first attempt to approached the hollow. After the little show ended, Grimmjow was cracking up.

"Hahahaha, you got smoked by an adjuchas!" he laughed, clutching his gut. "The Quinto's gettin slow! I bet I can catch her just by myself."

If Ulquiorra was insulted, he didn't show it. Instead, he was ignored the Septima. "Primera, I do not feel I have overestimated this hollow's abilities. Her speed easily surpasses Zomarri's in his release form. Said man grunted in agitation by the remark. He prided himself on having one of the fastest sonidoes.

"Very well," the tan goddess said. "I will accompany you. I personally wouldn't want to miss Grimmjow get beaten up."

Neliel giggled while the blue-haired Septima roared indignantly. "THE HELL I WILL, PRIMERA!"

"Then it is settled. We will be off," Ulquiorra said. "I last saw her heading east of the main gate. She will have covered much ground by now."

"Very well," Halibel said.

With nothing more to say, the hunting group left, not knowing that they will use every bit of their wits and speed to catch this one adjuchas.

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><p>URGENT! YOU ALL NEED TO KNOW OF SOPA AND THE NDAA. If this is allowed to pass, your rights of freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of the pursuit of information, etc., ANYTHING that the government deems a threat or belligerent, WILL be taken away. The NDAA allows the government to arrest anyone, even it's own american citizens, WITHOUT TRIAL were you WILL be sent to Guantonomo Bay-style prisons and tortured. DO NOT LET YOUR RIGHTS BE TAKEN BY THOSE WHO ARE SUPPOSE TO SERVE US! I won't be surprised if they come after me for saying this, because they have come after other people too. Normally, I would tell you people who voted Obama and the congress in 'I TOLD YOU SO', but we need to stand united! WE ARE MEANT TO PROTECT OUR NATION AND CONSTITUTION FROM ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. THAT INCLUDES CONGRESS AND FUCKING OBAMA!<p>

/usa/news/anonymous-ndaa-act-us-485/

Just copy and paste this link to your search box. There's a message from Anonymous who are calling everyone to stand against the now tyrannical government. Tell everyone you know about this: your friends, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your boss, everyone.


	12. Grief and First Contact

**Chapter 11**

**AN:** Hey everyone, I'd like to thank those who read the last chapter, and the two people who reviewed the Author's Notice, and for the reviews. Also, that whole deal with Halibel having to speak english with Remarri, yeah...that was just for kicks. I mean, do the hollows and soul society all speak a universal language or something? What if an American got sent to SS or HM and couldn't understand a single word said cuz they all spoke Japanese, or their native language? I experimented with the idea of a language barrier, but after giving it alot of thought, I've decided against it. Darkmachines, thanks for all of the reviews you've given me. I really want to make this story great, everyone, so since this is only my second fanfic, a little opinion would be nice. I understand most people who read this just aren't the type to review stories, especially chapters that are old, so this chapter goes out to all of the reviewers.

Okay, now that I'm off my soapbox, let's get on with this story. Sorry to disappoint, but not much is gonna happen in this chapter unless I have a spontaneous idea. Or will it?

Disclaimer: T. Kubo owns all of Bleach and it's canon characters. I do not. So if anyone from ACTA tries to sue me, I'm gonna shoot'em in the face.

Got inspiration during the funeral part by listening to T.I. ft Justin Timberlake-Dead and Gone. I don't own those titles.

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><p>The familiar feeling of falling was the same as always as Malik went to his inner world. He had decided to visit his two zanpakutou spirits after Tessai had let him down and led him to what he figured was his room. After having took a much needed shower, Malik had sat indian style on a small rug and laid both zanpakutous across his lap. He focused on entering his inner world and that was where he was now.<p>

Even with his eyes closed, he knew he was there. But...something was different with the place. There wasn't the usual calm breeze; it was picked up. Every now and then, he could feel the splatter of a few raindrops. From his perch on his and Gabriel's usual branch above the forest, he could hear the roar of distant tornadoes, but they were pretty far off. Just as he expected; even though he was calm, he was still emotional stricken with grief and sadness from Fran's death. The events of last night had all happened too fast for him now that he thought about it. Either that, or it was just too much. Which ever way, the effect would have been the same.

He couldn't believe it; the woman he had loved, who had been his first real relationship, was gone, taken from him by two shinigami. His mind felt like it wanted to vomit when the word _shinigami_ went through it. 'Damn Soul Society'.

"This isn't over...not by a long shot," he said softly. It was than that he felt another presence with him.

"**Hmph, just what do you plan on doing than**?"

The tone was unmistakable. "Gabriel, you already know what I want to do?" He opened his eyes and saw the spirit standing, looking out over the world with his back facing Malik. Malik took notice of the new addition to his spirit's outfit. "You got a new coat."

Gabriel smiled and turned to face him. "**You like it**?" he asked, and held it open a little. It was alot different from the black trench coat from before. This one looked, by comparison, alot more formal. It was still long, but stopped at mid-thigh and the sleeves went to his wrists. There wasn't a hood like before, but just a straightened collar. The biggest and most noticeable difference though, was that it was an almost royal blue color.

He was still shirtless underneath, and gone were the combat boots, which were replaced with boots that looked more formal. Without the hood now, his black hair fell mostly behind his back, while some fell down the side to his shoulders than behind. (_**A/N: Think Vincent**_** Valentine's hair, if you didn't already know)** His irises, the outer-half a bright green with a yellow inner-half, were a stark contrast to his black, narrow pupils, which narrowed as he waited for a reply. Even though he was hiding it extraordinarily well, he was obviously being emotional affected by last night, and his temper was probably short.

"Looks alot better than the first outfit."

Though it was a compliment, Gabriel still frowned. "**Was my last outfit crappy**?"

"No," Malik assured, trying to keep this from getting into a fist fight, "it's just that the whole 'all black outfit' thing you had going on was kind of a cliche. The blue really sets it apart."

"**Well, aren't you just the fashion expert**," he responded. "**But, I guess I agree with you**." He took a couple of steps towards him, the boots making their _thump...thump...thump...thump_ sounds against the wood. "**So, aren't you going to say anything about your inner world**?"

His master shrugged. "Like wha-...woah." He had thought nothing of it before. In fact, he hadn't noticed anything earlier since he was talking with Gabriel, but when he was about to ask 'Like What?' he had look out behind the spirit and out over the sky. It was a vibrant mixture of reds, yellows, and oranges, like the sky during the setting sun.

The entire horizon was literally the same colors and was lined with long clouds. That was when he had paused with the 'wha-...'. The 'woah' was when his gaze slowly went vertically, from what he could see through the thick canopy of the tree, the long, thin, white clouds up above were curving and making a circle thousands of feet above the great tree. Their movements were slow, traveling in concentric, counterclockwise circles, with faster moving red clouds spaced within them, making layers of red, white, red, white. Than his eyes saw the center of it all.

There was a massive, which is an understatement, orb/vortext thingy that had a scarlet outline, but a black inside, and looked like it was collapsing in on itself. Clouds that got too near were slowly pulled in by some invisible gravitational pull. Its movements made no sound to give evidence of its activities. Sometime during his gawking, Malik's jaw had touched the branch and his body went numb.

"Is that...what I think it is?"

Gabriel had decided to join in on the looking, but his expression showed no shock. "**Yeah, first it started with the atmosphere changing colors, than the clouds, and finally that thing. Looks like something you'd see during doomsday, doesn't it**?"

"Yeah, like it's the end of the world. Is she up there now?"

"**Yeah**," he replied with a not to interested voice. He confirmed that with by waving off an imaginary fly with all the fierceness of a sleepy koala bear licking a leaf. "**If you wanna visit her, just climb up to the top of the tree**."

Malik paled and looked up the tree. It was atleast six hundred feet to the crown of the large hunk of wood. **"It's not as bad as it looks**," Gabriel assured. "**Maybe it would have been if you didn't know how to fly using your spiritual pressure, but now that shouldn't be a problem.**"

"Why did this tree have to be so damn big? I oughta name this thing the 'Stairway to Heaven.'"

"**This is the center of your inner world, of course it's gonna be bigger than the rest**," the smirking spirit explained. "**Now get going, before I decide to throw you over the side. I've always been curious as to what would happen if a person were to hit the ground from this height**."

Malik winced as the image of his body splattering and repainting the forest floor popped up, making up his mind. "Maybe one day, but not now."

Gabriel gave a genuine smile. **"I look forward to that day, Malik. I still haven't got you back for that cheap shot the first time we fought**." That disarming smile was enough to get Malik hopping up several limbs at a time instantly, leaving Gabriel to laugh by himself.

Malik was happy to put space between him and his zanpakutou. "Guy scares the shit out of me. I think he honestly wants to just kill me. What would happen if I died in here? Could I die in my own inner world?"

He could barely hear Gabriel's laugh, but it was enough to put him into a cold sweat. He redoubled his efforts till he finally got to the top of the tree. There was a lone, bare branch that broke free from the canopy of its family. Besides that, the rest was like looking out over a sea of leaves. He knew to be careful, cuz those leaves could deceive anyone and have them falling down to the bottom, a fall that could kill anything.

He about lost his footing when he looked up. Again, he was deceived from before. What he thought was been atleast a thousand or so feet between the canopy and the 'red' hole was actually just a two hundred. And the size of the thing up that close was so large, he didn't even have to move his eyes up to see it. He could stare straight ahead and see it in his peripheral. There was now another thing he didn't expect. Now he was this close, he started slowly lifting up from the tree. The gravitational pull from the vortext was sucking him in.

He was very nervous. Astronomy wasn't one of his favorite subjects, but he knew that objects that were pulled into a black hole were actually being torn apart atom by atom. Now, he was pretty sure this thing in front of him wasn't a black hole, and not just because it was red, but it still gave off the vibe. Finally, his feet had left the canopy and he was in mid-air. The discomfort of losing the feeling of solid footing was more than he expected and he found himself just wishing for it again.

As he finally came within arm's reach of it, he unknowingly held his breath for what his wild imagination told him might be the last time. His eyes, however, betrayed his unneeded nervousness and stayed open, not wanting to miss one bit of this strange experience.

When his face touched the orb and painlessly disappeared inside it, slowly followed by the rest of his body. He didn't know how long he had been holding his breath, but it was probably a national record. Only when he reappeared on the other side of where he came from did he release it. He greedily sucked in much needed oxygen till he could breathe calmly again. He looked around and saw that he was in the same vortex that he was in during his dreams at the beginning, and during his soul bonding. Only difference being that the mass of energy was more focused and organized.

"**_Welcome back, Child_**."

He turned around and saw the source of what startled him. Dragira was standing just a foot from him, slightly amused by his startleness. Because he was actually about three inches shorter than her, he was looking right at her mouth. He quickly attempted to take interest in the ground to avoid any kind of blush from forming, because face it, for a reptile/woman, Dragira was pretty hot. But his eyes betrayed him again when they had practically scanned her entire body within the second it took to glance down.

'What the Hell? If you don't straighten up, I'm gonna get you replaced.'

"**_I'm glad you're so fascinated with the scenery, Malik, but it's rude to ignore someone trying to talk to you_**," she replied softly. He looked up into her eyes to maintain some of his manners and saw amusement in her eyes. He was about to blush from what he thought she knew, but no, she was assuming he was staring at the inner-inner world. "**_There you go again with that blush. You are too innocent. That needs to change_**_** soon**." _

His eyes widened and the blush only darkened his slightly brown skin at the insinuation. 'Oh no, she saw it!' "What?" he asked nervously. Her reptilian eyes merely stared right back at him with fiery intensity, making his heart beat faster from the nervousness. Much to his relief, she started chuckling.

_**"I'm just joking with you. Now I can understood why Yoruichi is so flirtatious. Your facial expressions are cute."**_

His blush disappeared and was replaced by an irritated scowl. "Not cool, Dragira."

"_**Well, I have to settle your mind somehow, Child. Lord knows I don't like the way you've got my and Gabriel's places looking the way they do**_." He looked thoroughly confused. Looking around, he couldn't see any noticeable problems.

"What exactly is wrong with your place?"

She placed her hand along his neck and turned his back to her. Casually, sincerely, she wrapped her arms around his neck, closing any space between their bodies. While he was fighting away unnecessary thoughts, she was hardly acting uncomfortable. _**"It is boring. The monotony of everything being so...well, I can't think of anything more appropriate than boring. 'Controlled', perhaps. Don't you remember before, my inner-world was a chaotic vortex with a random lightning flash here and there? That's the way I like it: wild and unpredictable.**_"

He was confused. Again. 'Jeez, that's been happening alot lately,' he noticed. 'She likes chaotic? And wild? That's like the exact opposite of what an inner-world's suppose to be, right?'

**_"Everyone's inner-world is different, Malik. What may be chaotic and wild for some spirits, is preferable by others. Like me_**."

"Well, I can understand that. Everyone's got their own taste," he said, bringing a smile to her face.

"_**Exactly. For a Child, you catch on pretty quick. You're a natural when it comes to learning**_," she said. He tried to keep his scowl, but couldn't find any reason to.

"Thanks. All Gabriel talks about is wondering what way he would enjoy killing me the most," he responded, to which Dragira found great amusement in.

"_**Gabriel. He may be the incarnation of your darkest desires and emotions, but he cares for you. Remember, if you were to die, he would too. As would I..and I will not have you dying anytime soon**,_" she said with finality.

Out on the branch, said spirit started sneezing like crazy. "**God...achoo!..what the Hell? Achoo!...this has Dragira's name written all over-achoo!-it. I just know it**," he grumbled in between sneezes. Although he couldn't complain entirely. The harsh winds have died down to a calm, constant breeze and all weather anomalies were quickly disappearing.

"You know if he hears you say that, he's gonna take it out on me, right?" Malik asked with a deadpanned expression. However, the other spirit didn't seem concerned.

"_**Well, Gabriel can try all he wants. He won't lay a finger on you unless I allow it."**_The boy felt much better with those words. Gabriel said that her power could blow his outta the water, so he could rest assured that Dragira would keep the seemingly homicidal spirit chained. Just one question about that though.

"Dragira?" he asked, rotating his head to the side to look at her. When he saw her eyes' attention on him, he continued. "Gabriel said before that you were alot more powerful than him..How powerful are you really?"

This was a question that was on his mind numerous times over the months that he's had her, and undoubtably Urahara-sama and Yoruichi-sama would want to know as well. Oh, and definately don't forget his old man, Toicha. He could not wait to see his gramp's face when he gives him the news. The fella will probably cry enough to fill the Pacific Ocean, than die.

Thinking about his old man, Malik couldn't help but get off-track and wonder when he'd get to see him again, or even if he was slightly aware of what all has happened. Was he alright? If the Soul Society were now after him, would they come after his gramps as well? How would he defend himself?

Seeing as her answer fell on deft ears, and how her world was becoming more calm by the second, AND seeing as to how patting him on the cheeks wasn't working, Dragira decided to use some rather unorthodox means to snap Malik out of whatever worrying train of thoughts he was on.

She lifted the end of her tail to her mouth and wrapped her tongue around the appendage, soaking it probably more than necessary with saliva. Acting like she was doing no evil, she maneuvered the dripping tail end just inches from Malik's left ear. "**_You've forced my hand, Child. No hard feelings_**."

With a quick jab, the saliva-soaked tail performed the blitzkrieg of wet-willies. Malik had no chance to react as the appendage burrowed itself deeper into his ear canal and started rotating, coating the inside of his head with a weird, wet substance. Of course, when he finally realized what had happened, his first response was a comical one.

"AAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHH!", which was followed by his body jerking and twisting spasmodically like a worm impaled on a fishing hook. He tried to move away, but he found a pair of very strong arms wrapped around his upper arms and chest, along with a leg wrapped around his waist, immobilizing him. "AAGGHHH! OOHHHHH GOD! STOP IT! STOOOPPP IIIIITTT!"

Satisfied with his pleads, along with a good laugh, she removed her snake-like tail from his ear and whipped it clean of whatever it might've dug out on his pant's leg before bringing it back to her side. Malik, meanwhile, was currently wriggling his finger inside of the molested ear and made a "urggghhh" sound everytime it came back out coated in her spit.

"WHAT THE HELL, WOMAN?" he yelled agitatedly, still trying to recover from that ear-raping experience.

She laughed for a couple of seconds before somehow regaining her mirth and answering the fuming boy's question. **_"You spaced out on me. You didn't even hear my answer; instead, you were thinking about something troubling and it was affecting me as_**_** well."** _He scoffed in response, having finally dried his ear. "**_Now that I got your attention, the answer to your question is simply very. From what I've determined amongst others' zanpakutous, only a majority of the minority of the eight decent spirits I saw today could stand a chance; that, of course, depends greatly upon my wielder_. My power more than octuples his own at the moment.**_"_

"So that's why he's timid when mentioning you."

After that comment, Gabriel sneezed again, this time though, a snot-rocket was in the chamber and was now shooting towards its target: His sleeve. A web of green goo connected his sleeve to his nose like a mucus spiderweb. When he saw the extent of the damage to his new coat, and his pride and dignity, he saw nothing but red, and his nose smelled around him for any signs of something he could kill. **"That boy and the bitch with the red skin...I swear, the next time I see them.."**

Meanwhile, Malik felt a frigid chill throughout his spine, causing him to shiver. "When I leave, can I just do it from here? I don't want to go back through the other place."

"_**Of course**_," she responded, thankfully giving him the answer he desired. "_**Despite the short time it's felt like to you, you've been in here for hours. I can sense Yoruichi-sama approaching you. I believe you still have something you want done on the other side,**_** no?"**

"Yeah," he unenthusiastically responded. "I don't need reminding. You've managed to calm me down a bit, but...I don't know what I'll do if I see her again..the way she is, I mean. If it's alright, I'll probably be spending alot of time here. Either that or beating the crap out of Urahara and that stupid fan of his."

She didn't laugh or anything this time. Though humor could be found in what he said, there was only sadness and pain in his words, mixed with an unhealthy bunch of hatred. 'I'm stunned at how well he's taken her death, even though it was just this morning. Any normal person would be either squalling or dangerously depressed. However, that could change today. I'll be here for him.' She was happy that he found much comfort with her and Gabriel...well, not Gabriel, but that shows how much he relies upon them. Dragira, as Gabriel would know as well, despite their different personalities, would embrace this faith. 'He can only grow stronger.'

Malik opened his eyes and noticed his was sitting on the floor of his room in his meditative position. He room was nothing special. A queen sized bed to his right, about three pillows on it, a nightstand with a lamp and a clock, a square desk up against one of the walls, two windows, one facing the foot of the bed and another facing the far side of the bed, and finally a rug on which he currently sat. He looked back at the clock and saw that it was 1:29p.m. He'd been in his mindscape for four hours! It only felt like thirty minutes.

He sensed the familiar presence of Yoruichi just outside his door and on cue, the gentle sound of knuckles rapping against the wood echoed through the room. "Hey, Malik, we've got everything set up for Fran's burial. Just waitin on you."

He sighed depressingly. He has to accept it sometime. For everyone's sake, he might as well do it as soon as possible. The sooner they burried her, the sooner he can start recovering. It was only common sense. "Yeah, I'll be out in a second, Yoruichi-sama."

He reluctantly got to his feet, strapping Dragira and Gabriel to his back. Seeing nothing else needing to be done, he opened the door and saw the nekko goddess leaning on the wall just outside his room. When she looked at him, she made sure he could see the support she held for him in her eyes. She's lost people special to her too, so she knew how he was feeling. He'd probably attempt to shut her and the others out, possibly dwell on self-inflicted torture, i.e. training himself to death, isolationism, and the usual side-effects of post-mortem depression. She knew how to help him, but it'd be his choice whether to accept it or not.

He however, was thunderstruck by her beauty. She had decided to be respectful and dress for the occassion. She wore a smooth, black dress that came mid-thigh. The sleeves were nothing more than shoulder straps, leaving her arms and the majority of her traps (area between neck and shoulders) bare, exposing her perfect, brown skin. There was a little v-cut as well, showing just enough to where one could see the top of her breasts.

"I'm ready," he said. She wasn't surpised, but she wasn't use to hearing him talk with such a lack of emotion or life. It just didn't suit the kid. Wordlessly, she led the way outside. There wasn't anybody outside. Instead of saying anything, Yoruichi started walking off toward the rear of the property. It was a beautiful day. Malik wanted to laugh mockingly at the irony of it. He wondered how on earth the world could be so serene when the most important person in his life outside of family was just killed that morning. It was almost insulting to him.

In just a minute of walking, they arrived upon a large scaffold about five feet tall. It stood sturdily on four legs and had several pieces of wood laying sideways, making a surface. On top of it laid the motionless, souless body of his love. He was surprised by how clean and pristine she looked. There weren't any visible burns, or cuts, or blood stains. Her clothes were switched out for a red short-sleeve, silk gown that went down to her ankles. Her long, silver hair had been neatly brushed, leaving her characteristic bane over her eye.

He was stunned. Even in death, her beauty was unparalleled. Standing beside him were his other mentors, Kisuke and Tessai, both of whom were stuntin similar black suits. The blond man wasn't smiling at all, and the large man was already crying a river. Thank God he wasn't bauling.

'Damn...Tessai looks more tormented than I do, and he's never known her! What does that make me!' he mentally asked. Suddenly doubts started flowing into his mind. 'What if I wasn't the right boyfriend? Why aren't I as affected? Everyone's feeling sorrow while I just feel empty. What does that mean?'

**_'Malik, enough of these thoughts_**!' Dragira demanded so loudly that he actually jerked his head. **_'These thoughts hold no reason to exist. You are most affected. Kisuke over there, he's showing deep concern for you, as is Yoruichi. Tessai is apparently just more emotional at certain times. The emptiness you feel is no sign of being unaffected. To have emotions is far better than feeling nothing at all. Only pain and loss of the most extreme can cause one to feel nothing. Now stifle this nonsense! I will not have my master in this state of mind_**.'

Her outburst, no less, frightened him. 'I've never heard her talk like this. Hell, I don't even think Gabriel's talk to me like this.'

"Malik," Kisuke called out, grabbing his attention. "You may say whatever you need to say. Take your time."

"Thank you," Malik replied softly, the former shop owner give him a slow nod. He took off his hat, which had been replaced with one that matched his suit, revealing his shaggy blond hair. A sight no one is ever use to seeing. Malik walked on firm legs steadily to the scaffold, up the small steps, till he was looking down on his Fran's peaceful face. He was doing his best not to cry.. not cry yet, anyway. No one would blame him though. Tessai sure wouldn't.

"I'm sorry, Fran. I wasn't there to protect you," he started, the feelings of guilt nawing at his inside. "But I want you to know...that I'm not going to give up. I'm going to move forward. I'm going to get stronger so I can protect those I'm with now. I know you probably wouldn't want me to live the rest of my seeking vengeance, but I guarantee..that it won't take me the rest of my life. And I won't die till you've been avenged."

Tessai's river of tears have slowed to streams, but where there's an action, there's an equal but opposite reaction. Slowly, tears started making their way out of the corners of Malik's eyelids. They trailed down half way till they combusted into small flickers of fire and disappeared.

"I promise you this, whether in this life or the next, I'll find you. I'll break open the gates of Hell if I have to. I love you."

He bent his head down and softly placed his lips against hers. They stayed together for several moments; Malik being sure to inscribe every detail of her lips into stone. She never used lip gloss or lipstick; there was no need to. However, she naturally tasted like grape. She never used perfumes, but her body gave off a scent that closest resembled the morning rain in Spring. Though she was dead, Malik just couldn't help but feel she was kissing him back.

When he finally broke apart, unsurprisingly, but still to his disappointment, she was still dead. "Till we meet again."

He reluctantly stepped down from the steps and made his way back to his unofficial spot. Urahara waited for a little bit longer, as if making sure there was nothing more to do. After the uncomfortable silence, he patted Tessai on the shoulder, signaling him to end it. The big man made a futile attempt to wipe away some tears before taking his predesignated place in front of the scaffold.

He began chanting, but Malik didn't pay it any mind. It was a fire kidou, one that would incinerate the body, leaving no trace of it behind. It would have been a curse to have to live next to the spot where your most beloved was burried. That was probably what they thought. Malik silently watched as Fran's body was steadily consumed by the fire.

Yoruichi and Kisuke happened to look over at him at the same time. They see the same thing, yet they didn't. Yoruichi saw the fire from the kido reflecting in his eyes, along with the most defeated look she'd ever seen. Her chest started tightening from the pain caused from seeing Malik in such a state. She noticed what was causing it and sighed. 'Face it, baby, you care alot about him.'

Tessai watched silently as the fire's light brightened up his skin color and slowly obscurred the rest of Fran's body. His tears now gone, his face was replaced with a stern grimace. They had gone too far this time. Soul Society will regret their actions, that he promised himself.

Urahara had his hat on again, blocking any view of his eyes or nose. All one could see of his face was his chin and frown. His thoughts were similar to Tessai's, although that was now second. He remembered back to when all of those captains showed up. Among them was Sosuke Aizen, the man who was responsible for his, Tessai, and Yoruichi's exile, along with the hollowfication of several captains and lieutenants, the latter of which have been hiding in Karakura town ever since. He had made sure to keep some contact open between them.

Without a doubt now, Malik had Aizen's full attention. Along with a bruised and near dead captain at his feet, Malik was in no good standing with the Soul Society. That combination couldn't possibly make anything good. Or could it? He'll have to talk to Malik sometime. Aizen, now seeing his potential, would undoubtably pursue for his employment, but to what end? Aizen had stolen his Hogyoku the night of their exiling, so he's probably already combined it with his own.

If Urahara knew the man, he'd know that Aizen could only be planning something massive. Why not, with such a powerful tool at his disposal? If he masters it, he'd be nearly unstoppable. The Gotei 13, in all respects, which is used lightly as of recent events, wouldn't be able to beat him. But...what about Malik? The kid's shown an improvement that is unheard of within the past months he'd gotten his powers. And with two zanpakutous, could he become powerful enough to beat him? Probably not.'

He immediately began creating ideas and scenarios like a supercomputer on crack. After just a minute, and a hundred ideas thrown away, one idea stuck out. His eyes widen when he recheck it for doability and found it was in fact possible. '..but, what if he gain the power of a million zanpakutous?'

''Most definately possible," he inaudiably muttered. No one heard it, save for the one person there who was trained in assassinations and espionage and had the ability to hear a rat peeing on cotton. Said woman heard the small statement, and her curiosity would make sure to ask him about it at a later time.

'I'll be laying down all of my chips on the table with this one. I've got a LOT of planning to do.'

* * *

><p>The sound of sonido filled the air, replacing the monotony of the slow wind and scattered hollow cries. However, the wind was now a gust as well, making visibility poor for several hunters. There weren't any hollow yelling; in fact, there weren't any hollows within a hundred miles of the group's location. As soon as their spiritual pressures were felt, all instantly fled further away for fear of losing their lives. All except one.<p>

Several hours ago, Fran had been sprinting from one end of Hueco Mundo's vast desert to the other, searching for something, yet she had no idea what. Whenever she came across a hollow, she'd pay it no attention unless it attacked her. And only the bold or stupid dared to attack her. Within just this day, she had heard whispers of her new nickname spoke between noncombatants.

"_That's the Ghost Cat_."

"_None have lasted more than a minute against her, even in groups."_

"_She's so fast that she can escape all senses_."

"_She's not like others. She only attacks in defense. If we don't provoke, she won't kill us_."

She looked like she was ignoring them, but even if her ears were told to not hear them, the short fur-like hair on her body would vibrate from the soundwaves, thus acting like a second pair of ears. It was annoying her at first, but after detecting a hollow trying to sneak up on her on several occassions, she slowly grew to appreciate the help. It was at this time that she had felt six strong spiritual pressures, about three miles between each, making their way towards the spot she was previously at. She recognized one of them as the pale-skinned, black haired boy who approached her earlier today.

'He's come back, and he's brought friends. Strong friends. Must not plan on being nice. Will have to evade.'

No sooner than that, she smelled the first one. Curiously enough, it was another feline. 'Male, by the amount of testosterone carried by the wind.' The scent of the second one came about a minute later. 'Female. Cinnamon and...vanilla?' Whoever that female was, she was very strong; the strongest of the group.

The first one suddenly started moving towards Fran's direction. A flare of reiatsu erupted from him, quickly signaling for the rest to converged on his location. 'How? So far no one's been able to detect my spiritual pressure. I leave none behind! Wait..he's a feline too. He must have caught my scent as well.' She looked to the side and confirmed her thoughts when she noticed the wind had shifted direction, making her body upwind from the beings.

Now all six of them were closing fast on her. **'Evade or die', **the voice said. The voice hasn't been wrong before, so she wouldn't distrust it now.

Focusing more reiastu into her feet, limbs, and lungs, she took off in a flash. Seconds later, the six beings appeared in her spot. Grimmjow, Halibel, Ulquiorra, Neliel, Zomarri, and Rudobon came out of sonido expecting their target to be there, but were met with sand. Grimmjow knelt down and started inspecting the sands.

"There's a scent here, but not any footprints nor spiritual pressure. Looks like Ulquiorra here wasn't bluffing. This girl is very good at not wanting to leave a trail. The only reason we probably missed her was because she noticed that the wind had changed and I caught her scent. She was here just seconds before we arrived."

Grimmjow had a concentrated look on his face, a far cry from the battle-loving, shit-eating grin he usually had while hunting down his prey. However, he knew that they weren't going to catch this girl easily, not like they would've any other hollow, so he kept the grin in reserve for when they met. That would be when the real fun of detaining her comes in, if she didn't want to go peacefully.

"Which direction is she headed, Grimmjow?" Halibel asked.

The teal-haired espada pointed ahead of them. "You sure picked the right one for this job. Cuz our girl is heading into that."

In the direction his finger was pointing in, hundreds of miles in the distance, a massive sandstorm was rolling across the desert. The shear size of it was very rare. It had to be hundreds of miles long in all directions.

"She's going into that?" Zommari asked, dreading the thought of having to track her in that mess.

"Are you sure _that's _where she's heading?" Neliel asked. The mint-haired beauty looked stoically at the storm, however, she was well aware that they just had their work cut out for them.

She got a 'hmph' from the feline tracker. "Woman, of course I'm sure. If I was being followed and the only way to track me was by scent, that'd be the same place I'd go."

"The storm will be blowing fast winds in several different directions at once," Rudobon stated. "It will make tracking her scent a hundred times harder, if not impossible. And from the size it looks from here, the hollow will have more than enough places to hide."

"Exactly. Even if Grimmjow manages to catch her scent, she could still stay hidden inside the storm due to the winds making the trail impossible to follow," the Primera concluded.

Neliel nodded in understanding. "Than, from what you are saying, is that if she's allowed to reach that sandstorm, it could be weeks or longer before we find her. It seems our best bet is to cut her off from it. Me and Zomarri are the fastest ones, as well as in our released forms, well..just me in my release form. I'll release and we'll hurry to get in front and try to hold her for the rest of you to surround her. No hollow should be able to outrun a released Espada."

Everyone agreed. It was a sound plan. The only one who had something to say was Ulquiorra. "Remember what I showed you all. This hollow's running speed was faster than my sonido. Do not underestimate her."

A grin broke out on Neliel's face. "Aww, Ulqui cares about us! I knew you feelings!"

Her statement was met with sweatdrops from all except the Quinto Espada. "Woman, just get going," he replied emotionlessly. The Quatro espada nodded, pretending to look dejected, and brought out her zanpakutou.

"**Declare, Gamazu**!"

In a explosion of pink smoke, she rushed out in the form of a lance weilding, centaur. Zommari quickly followed suit, since his release form is more for upclose combat than pursuit. However, that would change whenever he got near his target.

While the two sped away, the other four followed as fast as they could.

* * *

><p>Yoruichi leaned over the sink in the kitchen to look out the window. She let out a 'sad' breath of air. One could just tell how she felt from the sound of it. Malik was still standing in the same spot he had been for the past hour. His face was emotionless now, betraying nothing of what he was feeling. The very air around him was stale and dead, as if his emotions were the direct cause. One couldn't go near him without feeling as if all the happiness in the world was being swallowed up by some unknown entity.<p>

After Kisuke and Tessai had left, she had stayed behind to keep him company. For the barest second, a faint smile tugged the edges of his lips upwards. Too bad it only last for a second before it flattened out again. She had tried to talk to him, to get him to say something, anything. Holding all of those emotions in weren't good for the body, especially a young 17yr old.

_'He'll open up when he's ready_,' she had thought. "_Kisuke will make a headstone for her when he gets the chance. It wouldn't be right to leave nothing to commemorate her_," she said, hoping to get anything from him; if not, than just comfort him just a little bit.

She stayed by his side, holding onto his arm to let him know that she was there for him. Besides that brief smile at the beginning, the only sign that he acknowledged her presence was a brief squeezing of the fingers whose hand was over his.

After about another hour had passed, she was about to go, but tried to make sure he was going to be alright.

_"Malik, if you want to talk to somebody, or just don't want to be alone, we're here for you."_ She walked back silently to her house in the corner just north of the 'grave'. She had looked back over her shoulders several times, hoping each time she would see him either heading to his own house or following her, the latter of which she only wanted because he was her student and it pained her to see him so dead.

She gave him one last glance before walking into through her door. Having gotten out of her black funeral outfit, she crawled under her covers and went to sleep. She got about another hour of sleep. It was more like a power nap. She couldn't sleep anymore if she wanted to, so the first thing she did after crawling out of bed was go to the refrigerator and pull out a quart of milk. Twisting the top off, she put it to her lips and tipped the jug upside down.

One would've thought she was doing a sexy milk commercial. Besides the fact that she was sexy and drinking milk from a jug, she didn't bother to put on any clothes after waking up. It was her house, her rules. After puttin the top back on and stickin the milk back into the fridge, she had looked out the window and still saw Malik standing there, thus arriving to where she was now.

The sadness she couldn't help but feel instantly disagreed with the milk, and she got a tummy ache.

"Dangit.." she muttered angrily. "My mood is even turning my milk sour. We've gotta do something for him."

'If I'm this upset, there's no telling how Tessai is doing, is his theatrics at the funeral were anything to go by.' She glanced back out the window but couldn't see Malik anymore. She moved from side-to-side, trying to see where he might've gone, but he went and disappeared. The sudden sound of soft tapping against her door downstairs reach her ears and immediatly she bolted to the entrance. So focused was she, she didn't remember that she was naked.

* * *

><p>After standing for Lord only knows how long, Malik was slowly getting tired. He hadn't been doing anything except staring. For a split second, he had futiley hoped that this was all just a nightmare. He'd had several in the past months. But Dragira's voice and reassurring shot that chance down, along with Gabriel's <strong>'A fat chance in Hell. Sorry.<strong>' Malik made sure not to talk to him for a while.

_**'Why don't you go talk to Yoruichi for a little while. It's not healthy to sulk all by yourself, or sulking period**_,' she calmly advised. Though she had already had a long talk with him earlier, she was still careful to be mindful of what she said and what tone she used. When she had heard Gabriel's statement, she gave up hope on him being helpful. But she couldn't hate him for it; it was just the way he was. He despised weakness and denial as much as she did, but he was just more callous about it.

"What can talking help?" her master asked, sounding more like an angry child than a pre-adult.

**_'Sometimes talking releases any emotions that you might be stressed with. If not that, than it's just I don't want you to be alone,_**' she said.

"Can't I just come in there?" he asked, to which her first reply was a smile, happy that he'd want to spend time in her world than the real one. But that just wasn't what he needed right now and she knew it.

_**'You can come here as many times as you want and stay as long as you feel like it, but you needed something more than the company of a spirit right now. You have friends in your world. Don't isolate yourself from them**_.'

He sighed, not sure how he should feel about that right now. If the Malik from yesterday had seen that, he would've beaten the snot out of his depressed other-self. He knew that. So that's what convinced him to start putting one foot in front of the other and make his way slowly to Yoruichi's place.

When he got up to her door, he took a deep breath and softly knocked on her door. 'I hope she doesn't mind me coming over,' he thought. Not a second later, her door flew open and he was greeted with the sight of one of the sexiest bodies he had ever seen. He didn't even have time to think of a response before she pulled him into a tight hug. His blush was getting redder and redder by the second, but the woman couldn't even notice it from her head's place on his chest.

**'That's my kind of answer**,' Gabriel declared.

Dragira was surprised as well. _**'That...was unexpected**_.'

Yoruichi's hug tightened around him. "I'm glad you came," she said softly, which was followed by more of Gabriel's chuckling and he could feel a blush creeping up Dragira's face from watching her master's sudden situation.

Gabriel's soft laugh could be heard in the back of Malik's head, followed by something that made his blood boil. **'I have to say, I like her way of 'talking**.' Malik heard it clear as day, and it was that statement that became the catalyst for his next action.

He pushed his hands in between their bodies and broke the hug apart. Yoruichi looked up in concern but was met with a fiery gaze. If looks could kill, she'd be dead before hitting the ground. "So, when you said 'talking', you meant this?"

Confusion was written in big bold letters on her face, before realization hit here like a ton of bricks. She realized that she was still naked, and Malik must've misinterpreted her lack of clothing as trying to take advantage of him in his depressed state.

"Malik, before you even think that low of me, let me explain," she frantically demanded. He had a few veins popping on his head and neck from the perceived seduction attempt. He would've stormed off if it wasn't for Dragira somehow literally making his feet heavy as lead, ruining his escape plan.

'I can sense desperation in her voice, and it's clearly shown on her face. Let her talk, Malik.'

He started to get real angry at Dragira for making her stay here. He couldn't believe Yoruichi just tried to take advantage of him not one day after his girlfriend died. 'Disgusting' was his thought of his teacher. However, he'll hear her out. "I'm waiting," he spoke, rather harshly.

Yoruichi's face was set in stone as her seriousness took a level that rivaled his own. "Malik, it wasn't what it looked like. I got undress and took a nap. When I woke up and saw that you'd been standing out there for a whole hour after I left, I was really worried about you. When I saw that you weren't there and I heard knocking on my door, I rushed down here. I forgot I was naked."

Malik, Gabriel, and Dragira's eyebrows all went up. "You **forgot _you_ w**ere naked/**_naked/_naked?"**

Yoruichi crossed her arms underneath her bosom and shifted her weight to one leg, making a leaning, tough girl pose. "As often as I'm naked, not including the time that I'm a cat, does that really surprise you?"

'She's got a point," Gabriel said, which was supported by Dragira as well.

'Damn...I can't believe I was so quick to judge her. God, I'm screwing up on everyone now! Next thing I know, Kisuke is gonna want to pass the time by testing on me or something.'

**'Don't jinx us**, **_Malik,"_ **both his spirits warned.

"Well, you wanna come in," Yoruichi invited. "I promise I'll put some clothes on."

"Sure," he replied, a small smile popping up for the barest of moments. Yoruichi saw it as a chance to lighten the mood.

"Ha, you didn't say what I could wear," she stated. "I've got a Pocahontas outfit in the closet," she teased. He knew she was just playing with him. That was why he couldn't help the small grin finally show itself and remain.

"Only you," he mumbled as she led him into the house.

* * *

><p>While things were progressing, for a lack of a better term, everywhere else, the 4th squad hospital was currently alive with commotion. Unohana, followed in step by her beautiful and very tall lieutenant, Isane, were rushing with several others squad members. They were specialists, or surgeons. The group was ushering a patient as fast as possible without running anybody unfortunate enough to be in the way over.<p>

Isane was doing a check-up on their most dire patient of the moment. Captain Soifon of Squad 2. When the silver haired pacifist walked into the room, she did it like any other patient.

_"Good afternoon, Soifon-taicho. I'm just coming to check on you." When she looked over the petite captain with hawk like eyes, eyes that had been trained and were experienced when it came to observing one's health. The small captain had been unconscious ever since the fire had consumed her in the sky._

_Isane lifted the cover off of Soifon and checked her wounds. Peeling off the first of many bandages, this one from the chest, Isane was greeted with a glimpse of the burns on the woman's body. Her chest had third degree burns, but in a few months, kido could heal it back to perfection. The snow white skin indicated where the third degree burns were, and much to Isane's stomach's disapproval, it covered her entire chest. Her clothes literally fell off when she was brought here._

_While preparing to pour some burn ointment on her hands to smooth over the burns, she noticed several black spots, about the size of dimes, clustered into two groups, one on each breast's inside. _

_"What could that be?" Isane definately had no idea what it was. She put on some surgical gloves and poked it with the tip of her finger. After a couple of seconds, she tried rubbing it off, thinking it was just some dirt or dead skin. Unfortunately, much to her horror, her action caused Soifon to start coughing madly._

_She stopped, but not because of the coughing. It's what she was coughing. Soifon coughed violently again, and like just before, a strange black mass of dust erupted from her mouth._

_"!... What in Kame is that?"_

_Much more horrific was when she started hacking like no tomorrow. "! Captain Soifon!" _

_Isane rushed to hold her steady when the force from the coughing was causing the patient to jerk violently. The lieutenant yelled out for help, which was answered in seconds. Her eyes thanked the heavens when her Captain rushed in. Her concern face grew as she saw her lieutenant having to hold down the unconscious patient._

_"Isane, what is happening?"_

_Isane's eyes were filled with fear when she looked back up at her, just as the coughing stopped. She backed away from the bed with her hands clasped against her chest. "Captain...what is that?"_

_Captain Unohana looked at Soifon and saw something black and slimy trailing from her mouth. She rushed forward to get a closer examination of it. Gloves already on, she pick up the object and after looking more closely at it, her eyes widened at what it was she was holding. "This...this is a lung."_

_The breath left her lieutenant when she heard that. "Her...her lung, Captain?"_

_"Isane, gather the surgical team and prepare for immediate surgery. Also, have someone send a message to Captain Kurotsuchi for me. Tell him it's a medical emergency. We're going to need to perform a lung transplant." Her usual calm tone was replaced with urgency. Isane knew better than to hesitate and immediately left. _

_As Captain Unohana studied the lung more, it, much to her horror, crumbled in her hand as if it were made of charcoal. 'This is worse than I thought. Please hang in there Soifon-chan.'_

The surgical group entered the room and made quick work of setting it up for surgery. On the count of three, they moved Soifon's dying body onto the metal bed and began hooking up life support and I.V. line.

They were ready now, but much to their bad luck, they couldn't begin without first getting replacement lungs first. That's where Mayuri comes in. He's the expert in the science field and is second only to Unohana in medicine. His expertise will be invaluable if he could just get here. After several agonizingly slow minutes, about fifthteen to be precise, he finally stormed in, not looking pleased at all.

"Someone better be dying to have pulled me from my lab!" he bellowed. He would've kept on going, but a firm grip on his shoulder and a stare from Unohana silenced any argument he had prepared.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, I'd greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't shout in the surgery room." He gulped in response. "Thank you. Now, I called you here. Soifon's lungs are literally crumbling away like dust in the wind. We need a pair of clone lungs."

Several eyes were on them now, all wide as headlights. Clone lungs? When did those become available? Mayuri's eyes were wide as well, fully not expecting the normally pacifistic Captain to know about those already. In fact, he hadn't even had them properly tested yet. However, he professionalism wouldn't allow him to go berserk...yet.

"I take it since you know of that, than you have already got me a sample of lung tissue?" He looked over at the patient, not caring that it was the 2nd divison captain. He never really liked her anyway. But, he noticed that the wasn't anything blood or utensils, signs of a surgery. "Why, you haven't even operated yet?"

Unohana grabbed his hand in her own, forced it opened, and laid something black and fragile in her hand. Mayuri looked dumbfoundly at the unrecognizeable piece of tissue with confusion. "Just what the hell is this, Captain Unohana?"

"That, Mayuri, is one of her lungs that she coughed up about twenty minutes ago. Her other one could come up anytime. With no lungs, there would be no point in trying to keep her alive with an oxygen tube or I.V. line or anything. She will die."

Kurotsuchi looked shocked, than amazed at the form of the now nearly useless lung. "Very interesting. I hope you will let me study this further to determine the cause of this."

"Of course," Unohana replied. "Just please hurry. I understand you can clone a perfectly healthy lung from just a tissue sample. How long will it take?"

He thought hard, and quickly, rubbing his chin as if that helped his thinking process. "About twenty at time of cloning. I've made several advancements in my machine, so if Soifon-taicho can hold out, I can get her some new lungs."

Isane and Retsu sighed in relief, but the battle was far from over right now. "Thank you. Please hurry."

The twelvth division captain disappeared in a flash of shunpo, leaving the surgeons to anxiously wait for his return and do their best to keep Soifon alive. While she checked Soifon's vitals and blood pressure, she couldn't get the image of that charred lung out of her mind.

'What kind of evil did that?'

* * *

><p>Fran had to admit. She was impressed. These two beings somehow arrived just behind her, failing at cutting her off from the massive storm that she'd planned to hide it, but was just on her tail. She stopped before entering the storm to take a better look at her pursuers. The first one was a beautiful woman, but she had the bottom half of a horse. She held her lance at her side, not at her like so many others who'd tried and failed to beat her.<p>

The next one was a black man who looked surprised for some reason; a reason she didn't really care about. He was wearing a white coat that hugged his body. He had yellow eyes like other hollows, but she couldn't see his hollow hole. There were a couple of defining features about him, two being the bone necklace he wore and the small mohawk he had.

Neliel gasped slightly at seeing this new hollow up close. Besides being a hollow, she had to be one of the most fiercest, but beautiful, adjuchas hollows she had ever seen. Plus, for a cat, she was huge! Not in fat or bulky wise, but she was very long, about 12meters. As she remained poised for either attack or defense, her body retained a look of feline elegance, something that another particular feline she knew lacked. She was still hoping to avoid conflict. If she could just convince the hollow to come peacefully, that they didn't mean her any harm, than everybody would be happy.

She thought about that some more. 'Well, everybody except Grimmkitty.'

"Please," she called out. "We don't want to fight. We are merely interested in you. You managed to make a name for yourself and even get our attention in just the first day of your arrival. My name is Neliel tu Odelschwank, Quatro Espada. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Neliel took a couple of steps forward, causing Fran to take a cautious step backwards. She stopped her forwardness and simple held out her free hand, while the other one stuck the medieval lance into the ground. A gesture of peace she hoped the adjuchas could understand.

Fran understood it alright, but that didn't mean she would let her guard them. The black man from before still stared at her, but she couldn't determine anything about his intentions from that. This Neliel, she could tell, wasn't one who liked to fight. Probably just in defense. And what are the espada?

As they stood there, Neliel felt the spiritual pressures of the others fast approaching. To avoid them scaring this adjuchas off, she had to let her know about them as well.

"Please don't feel threatened by the others who are coming here. There's even another Espada besides me, the leader of us, who doesn't like to fight if it can be avoided."

Fran watched every muscle movement of this Espada's body, looking for anything that would contradict what she said. About twenty seconds later, the other four finally arrived. What happened next prompted Fran to make the decision she did.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And that's chapter 11 for you! I hope you enjoyed it. It took me forever to get it rolling, but once it did, it had a snowball effect. Wow, now I'm having a sense of deja-vu. I feel like I've used that analogy before. Have I? Anybody feel like checking, cuz I'm too tired, plus I'm hungry. I think I made this chapter turn out alot better than I was expecting it too. I hope you all feel the same way.

Lemon alert! Will it be in the next chapter? It's possible. What if it's still a chapter or two away? Can you wait that long? ...Can I? (seriously asking myself that.) (o.O') I don't know why I made that little fella, I'm just bored and trying to increase my word count. :P

Anyway, coincidentally still on the subject of lemons. Here are the ones I've received so far via some reviews and private messages.

NelielxMalik-2

HalibelxMalik-2

HalibelxYoruichi-1 (seriously wondering how I'll make that one work, though it would be a dream come true, but I'll be afraid that I won't do them justice.)

YingxYangxMalik-1 (random, but it's a harem, so it's possible.)

ApachexMalik-2

Mila-RosexMalik-2

Sun-sunxMalik-2

StarkxNeliel-1

DragiraxMalik-1 (wow, well she has technically been in the story for the entire time. I guess she qualifies. Since she doesn't originate from Malik, I guess it wouldn't be incest.)

FranxMalik-2 (one of those is my vote, because well, it's destiny.)

UraharaxGreen-White striped hat-1 (lol, just kidding. I wonder how I'll make him react to Yoruichi and Malik doing it?)

Well, that's all for now. If I didn't mention any, than it is literally because my stomach is digesting itself at the moment and I can smell baked tilapia, cornbread, butterbeans, and mashed potatoes from the cafeteria all the way here. Plus, I probably forgot some others.

Got any flames or compliments, please send them! second thought, I'll do a rain check on the flames, I've already been having sleepless nights dreaming about God himself criticizing my stories. :'( Got any lemon requests, let me know and I'll try to mold them into the story. Till next time!


	13. Fran's Rebirth

**A/N:** S'up everyone. I'm glad I was able to get this chapter up alot faster than the last one. I hope you all are still enjoying this story. Thankyou, Von Remington, thewatchmen8, and Darkmachines for your reviews. I greatly appreciate them. Now, I said to Von that in response for his really nice review, I would give a shoutout to Sweden, so Swedians, this chapter is for you.

This chapter is gonna pick up where I left off with Fran. Last time we left Malik, he went inside the house with a naked Yoruichi. Will the lemon be in this chapter, or the next? You have to read to find out, and no, skimming over everything is not allowed. Also, I just discovered that coincidentally 20yrs before the series was when Isshin left Soul Society. I wish I would have found that sooner, I so could've put him in this story.

There will be big things happening in this chapter. Unfortunately, the lemon will be the next chapter.

Also, there will be a time lapse in this chapter. You'll know when.

'Dialogue'-thoughts

''Dialogue"-dialogue

'_Dialogue'-flashback_

"**Dialogue**"-Zanpakutou/unknown

"**_Dialogue_**"-Dragira

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I don't make money from my writings.

* * *

><p>Fran eyed the six figures carefully now. Her instinct was to run into the storm. She was outnumbered and outpowered. However, if they started to attack her, she already had a smokescreen ready to cover her escape. She knew she could easily lose them in the storm. The winds would throw off the direction her scent would come from, making that blue-haired tracker of theirs obsolete.<p>

She normally would've just ran, but this centaur woman, this Espada, so far hasn't shown any intent on fighting her, which was a relief, albeit a very suspicious-filled relief. 'Why would she not fight me. From what I can feel, she is far stronger than me. And if she was able to get to me this fast, than her speed was impressive. Same could be said for that other one.'

"Please," the horse woman asked calmly. "We don't want to fight. I myself am more of the peaceful type. Same as Halibel-chan," she gestured towards the blond woman. "We understand that you only fight in defense, though your power and speed are amazing for an adjuchas."

Fran studied her face even more. This Neliel wasn't showing any signs of discomfort or of deceit. In fact, she was smiling softly at her. However, her inspection was interrupted by another's voice. "We've come to make you an offer. One you might find hard to refuse."

She threw a glance over to Zommari and noticed that he hadn't moved from his spot, but was watching her carefully. 'That's good. There have been many who were stronger than me and let their guard down, though it wouldn't have made a difference. They paid for their arrogance with their lives, which were tasty.'

She took a look at the new arrivals. She was already aware of the blue-haired feline man. His face was kept stern, but not like an angry stern, but one that had a feeling he knew what she was capable of. She looked him over and saw that he was in fact a hollow; if his mask fragment resembling a jaw with teeth on the right side of his face was a giveaway, it was the hollow hole in his stomach, exposed openly by his unzipped vest. By the look of it, he was a brawler that was fast and powerful, but that was all she could tell.

Next was the one she had first met. After she had killed a bunch of hollows and was just finishing devouring them, he appeared in a flash. She felt his power and took him as another predator, so she fled. She had to admit at the time, he was alot faster than all the other hollows before him. He was on her trail for a whole minute before finally giving up. Now that she wasn't running, she had a better look at him.

He was shorter than the rest. His skin was pale and he had black hair to serve as a sharp contrast. His eyes were green and emotionless, a poker face she was impressed with. His mask fragment was as a half helmet on the left half of his head. At first, she thought he was crying, but she didn't notice any tears. Instead, he had green facial markings that resembled tear lines. His white clothes covered most of his body, save for his face and hands.

The next one was a strange looking hollow. He was humanoid in figure, the exception being his head was the skull of a bull or longhorn. He merely stood there with his hands behind his back, silently staring back at her, as if waiting for something to happen.

Finally, the last one was another female. 'Quite the beauty, like the other one,' Fran thought. However, despite her looks, Fran wasn't fooled. The power radiating off this woman was tremendous. Just being in her very presence and not running away or falling down took some effort. The woman's most noticeable features were her blond hair, which had three tiny braids hanging from the back and sides, and her skin. It was a deep mocoa color, which seemed very familiar to Fran. 'Why does that color seem so familiar?'

Like Ulquiorra, her eyes were emerald green gems, shining like a reflection of the sun off of a diamond. This woman obviously had no care for what other people thought by the clothes she wore. No doubt, she could turn heads where ever she went. This woman...for some reason, she felt like she could relate to her. The way she looked. The way she held herself amongst the others. The power she exuded. Fran found herself entranced by it; lured by her authority.

'What should I do?' she asked the voice inside her, the one who has been helping her survive and teach her how to evade and fight.

**'I don't like the way that black guy's looking at us**,' she muttered(not racist). **'That one we met before; he simply looks down on us. I've recognized that gaze in dozens of other hollows who fought us. This Neliel..like you, I can not detect any deceit. The one with the skull head...he looks very laxed for some reason. Either he's very confident in his abilities, or in the abilities of his friends to save him if we attack him. The blue haired one...I can see understanding and respect in his eyes, though I can also see that whether we go peacefully or fight and evade, he will be happy. The last one...this Halibel...I can't tell much from her face, except that her eyes are just as watchful as our own. She is studying us, measuring us. I'm not too sure what to make of her, except that she will be prepared for anything**.'

Fran was stunned by the amount of information her helper got just by looking at them. She wasn't that good at it, but she wasn't far behind either. 'So, the only ones we can trust right now are the blue-haired male and Neliel. Halibel is an unknown. Got it.'

So, since the first time from when she killed those three adjuchas when she just arrived here, she decided to speak, unknowingly carrying her human accent over. "What could you offer me?"

The Primera, Halibel, stepped forward cautiously, more for Fran than for herself. "What is it that you seek, 'Ghost Cat'? We can help you find it?"

That question and statement wasn't what Fran was expecting, and the gears in her head started turning even faster to process what she'd heard. 'What do I seek? Didn't you tell me in the beginning that I can't die yet? Do you know what I am seeking?'

The other voice didn't reply for a couple of moments, giving the group's area a feeling of tension. Aizen has shown great interest in this hollow for whatever reason, so they needed to bring her back. Normally, if one was asked that, they'd say something immediately, but the silence was uncomfortable, so Halibel tried to assure her that they could help, and even gave off suggestions.

"Whatever it is, our master can help. We all accepted his offer for different reasons. Some of us wanted power, others to escape the loneliness of being a hollow out here. Some wanted to be apart of something bigger or were just afraid. The reason I accepted is because I was too weak to protect the ones I cared about. Our master, Lord Aizen, gave me the power to finally be able to protect them without having to suffer the pain of sacrifice. For some reason, he has found a great interest in you and will be willing to help you."

Fran's mind was trying to process all of this. From her short reason, the duo had a much clearer picture of who this woman was. She seemed trustworthy, however, she herself still didn't know what she was after. Thankfully, her other voice finally replied with its own thoughts.

**'I believe we can trust her word, but...**' 'but what? Also, what do we even want?' **'but I don't think we should just go so willingly. I suggest a test. Enter the storm. If they are telling the truth, than they'll try to catch you. As for what you want, I'm not quite sure myself, but I will know it when we come across it. It feels like a person, but that's the best I can do at the moment.**' 'Very well. You haven't let me down now, so we'll go with your idea.'

Grimmjow was getting pretty impatient, despite the calmness he was showing earlier. They were offering this hollow whatever she wanted, yet she hasn't said a single word. 'Tch...women. They can never make up their damn minds.'

Ulquiorra didn't know what to think of this hollow. Aizen-sama wanted her for some reason, yet despite her unreal speed, he still saw nothing but trash. Yet, unlike all the other trash, she hasn't stated what it is she wanted. He didn't understand what she was thinking, unless she was contemplating, and that irked him. The only movements she made was the twitching of her tail every now and then to show that she wasn't a statue.

Rudobon was subtly moving his hand closer to his zanpakutou. He'd have to act fast to surround her if she decided to bolt. This silence was very unsettling. He looked behind her and at the monstrous sand storm that was both miles long, wide, and tall. Its roaring, whirling edge was literally nipping at this hollow's tail. 'If she gets in there, we'll be here for a long time. I don't intend to let Lord Aizen down.'

Neliel was thinking similar to Rudobon, without the readying her weapon part. She kept her eyes on the hollow, but she couldn't help but let her attention get drawn to the massive storm just forty yards away from her.

Zommari was mixed between impatient and anger that this hollow had the audacity to have to think about taking Lord Aizen's offer. No matter. If Aizen needed her, than he'd do whatever it takes to get her. 'Aizen's will be done.'

Halibel was interested in this hollow now. First off, she was a female who had outran Ulquiorra, and had killed hundreds of hollows in a single day just to survive. Despite being female, she has had no trouble at all surviving. She admired this hollow for that. Plus, she still hasn't decided what she wanted, of if she'd even accept the offer. 'She's skeptical and smart. She doesn't bite the bait the moment she sees it. She takes her time to check for any hooks.'

However, every choice has a hook. If Aizen granted her power for whatever she wanted, than she'd be bound to serve him loyally. She couldn't help but be slightly obsessed with what was going through this hollow's mind. 'Just what is it you want, girl?'

The sudden sound of a voice interrupting the sound of the roaring sands behind her made some of them jerk from the normalcy. "I...don't know. It is a person, undoubtably, but I don't know who," Fran confessed. This answer simply confused the Espada and Rudobon, but it made Halibel's intrigue only grow. Before anyone could comment, she continued. "Still, surely you can't blame me for being cautious about your offer."

To that, all save for Zommari could openly comprehend. He was still angered at the fact that she would hesitate to question Aizen-sama. Halibel, of course, knew about the Espada's die-hard fanaticism with Aizen so she had a pretty good idea how he was taking the hollow's reply. Also, having a tick-mark the size of a train on your forehead would give away your state of mind pretty easily as well. "Zommari, calm yourself."

At those words, Fran's eyes shot over to the one spoken too and saw how he was trembling with rage. 'What's his problem?' While never taking her eyes off of him, she continued. "However, I have trouble trusting someone who I've never met."

And Zommari blew a gasket at that. "How dare you insult Lord Aizen like that! He would not tolerate such insolence from a lesser being. Your attitude is-"

"Shut up, you fool." Halibel commanded. "You embarrass Aizen-sama's faith in you to get this done." Her comment shut him up, though his dark brown skin was gaining a deep shade of red. His fist clenched tightly shut to where the knuckles even turned white and blood start dripping out from between his fingers. "It is no insult for her to be wary and want a sign of trust."

Fran didn't say anything about her scolding, though her respect and slight admiration for Halibel grew significantly for her understanding. "I only ask this for proof." She held up her hand, pressing her middle finger and thumb together. "If you really want me, than catch me."

Their eyes widened at hearing the words they dreaded. Neliel looked at her with a disappointed sigh while Grimmjow and Ulquiorra used sonido to appear beside Fran, each with their zanpakutous drawn. Rudobon wasted no time upon hearing the words to draw his sword and summon hundreds of Exequis between Fran and the storm. Halibel simply nodded at the challenge. "Very well."

Before anyone could do anything else, Fran snapped her fingers. For the quickest of seconds, Halibel sense thousands of individual pockets of condensed reiatsu suddenly appear all around them. Her eyes widened at the hidden threat. "It's a-"

BOOM!

Her voice was cut off by the simultaneous explosions of all of those deposits of energy. This hollow had littered the area with her spiritual pressure like landmines. She was more than ready for them if they tried to be forceful.

Fran had jumped up just as Grimmjow and Ulquiorra came at her from the sides. When they had met in the middle, the first of the explosions, the one that cut off Halibel's voice, ripped through the sands at the two's feet. Although they were surprised, Halibel knew by catching the sight of Ulquiorra's eyes widening, the damage was insignificant due to their hierro. However, that one explosion was soon followed by thousands more all over the place.

Neliel grabbed Gamazu and jumped high into the air. Zommari and Rudobon, as well as most of his Exequis, were caught by the explosions. Up from above, the two women looked upon the devastation as thousands of explosions ripped apart the ground, creating an awesome scene of power. As they were up, they saw a non-impressed Fran staring right back at them.

"I knew that probably wouldn't fool you. Those males underestimated me. I'm glad you did not disappoint. Now, if this Aizen really wanted me, he should've come out here himself. However, unfortunately for you all, I don't yield without proof of abilities. If you can catch me, or at least tag me, than I will submit. You have my word that I will stay within the storm at all times."

Halibel and Neliel hadn't been expecting this from a mere adjuchas. It was obvious this 'Ghost Cat' had a high intelligence and pride for herself. The two Espadas could easily respect that, since there were dozens of arrancars, many Espada included, who looked down on them, despite the position they held, because they were women. It was the same for their fraccion. Understanding this hollow's actions and the reasons behind it, Halibel admired her for her courage and smarts.

"Very well, 'Ghost Cat', we accept." With that, Fran gave a smile and disappeared into the sandstorm. Unsurprisingly, neither Halibel or Neliel could sense her spiritual pressure. After she disappeared, the two female Espada looked down at the valley of dust that had been created. A vally was the only way to describe the size. Halibel felt herself grin at the cleverness of the hollow.

"You are definately worth the effort."

Down below, she could make out the scattered forms of all of the Exequias. She couldn't see them individually because all she could see was a great mass of white bodies strewn out and over each other. When the dust finally settled down so more, she saw Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Rudobon, and Zommari all together.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow for the most part look unscathed, save for some torn clothes. Rudobon looked the roughest since he wasn't anywhere near as strong as an Espada and he was well within the blast range of the clustered explosions. Zommari looked shocked for the most part at the range of destruction that adjuchas hollow's technique did. His clothes were torn in several places, as was everybody elses. What was most amazing was that he was slightly bleeding underneath his left arm, but he kept that information to himself.

For the most part, the only person who had detected what truly happened was Halibel. The others were dumbfounded.

"She did all that by snapping her fingers?" Rudobon asked, clearly stunned by the display of power from a simple flick of the hollow's fingers. Ulquiorra didn't make any comment, probably for the fact that that 'trash' managed to get away even though he and Grimmjow were right there. Yes, he clearly underestimated her. Grimmjow's face was stern for a moment before a big grin snuck its way to the outside.

"Heh, the woman's got some pretty flashy moves. Wiped out Rudobon's force in one hit. Hahaahaha, maybe you should start practicing quality over quantity!"

Rudobon just growled in response to the jab. "She just caught me off guard. Besides, who needs quality when you have an unlimited number of soldiers at your disposal." To make his point, five hundred more soldiers materialized out of thin air. However, it didn't have an effect on the Sexta Espada.

"You sure you got enough?" he barked back in amusement. When he was about to laugh again, he looked up and saw Halibel and Neliel up in the air looking down on them. "Well, sheesh, thanks for the heads-up, Primera!"

The others looked up and saw her and Neliel descending back to the ground. As they landed, Halibel started walking towards the sandstorm.

"Come. She challenged us to find her. Let's not keep her waiting."

Zommari and Grimmjow grumbled but reluctantly obeyed. Neliel followed silently behind, flanked by Ulquiorra and Rudobon. The latter summoned hundreds more soldiers and they all spread out in a long line three men thick. "If you see her or come into contact, immediately come for us," he commanded. With that, they all disappeared into the storm.

* * *

><p>(elsewhere)<p>

Malik and Yoruichi were sitting in the kitchen and had been talking to keep their mind off the sadness this day had brought; of course, after she had put some clothes on. She had thought about teasing him a little bit, calling him a little pervert, but after the look he had given her earlier, she knew not to push her luck. After doning some clothes, she went to the refridgerator she had stocked this morning. While Malik and herself were on their way here the long way, Urahara and Tessai had used their teleportation kido to go to a nearby town and stock up on supplies. I mean, they hadn't any need of them for this place in over ten years.

She smiled when she looked to see what all she had. Milk. Tuna. Chicken. Different types of fish. Vegetables, such as carrots, spinach, celery(she grimaced at that. She hated celery), etc. There were also fruits, such as apples, a watermelon, grapes(purple and green), and the usual.

"Hey, want something to drink?"

"Uh, sure," he replied. While he she got out milk, no surprise, but still a surprise to him since it's the same container that she was drinking out of, he just twiddled his thumbs in boredom. She whipped out a glass and filled it up and set it in front of him.

"Drink up. You wanna get big and strong now, don't you?" she asked, purposefully imitating the tone of a mother talking to her child. He smiled though.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He brought the glass up and started gulping it down, much to Yoruichi's dismay.

'He drinks it faster than me! However, I shall not be outdone.' She brought the jug up to her lips and took a couple of swallows from it. Malik's eyes, seeing this, widened and he about choked on the last swallow. He valiantly tried to hold it in, but he ended up spitting some on the nekomorph's free arm.

She had to stop drinking from the jug as she started laughing. "Aw, what's the matter. You're not afraid of germs, are you?"

The slight tick mark popping up on his forehead was her answer. "Hah, there are billions of things in this world that deserve more concern than a little saliva in a jug of milk," she said. She smiled wickedly at the slight blush that appeared on Malik's face, but it turned back to his normal skin tone a couple of seconds later. 'God, he's a tough nut. Well, if I got him to blush, I might as well mess with him to lighten the mood.' And she knew just how.

Bringing the milked arm up to her mouth, she gave it a couple of sniffs before slowing bringing her tongue out. She watched with enjoyment as the blush return along with his headlight eyes. His light hazel eyes couldn't believe she was about to do what he thought she was about to do. Indulging a little more in the pleasure that came from seeing him uneasy, she ran her tongue slowly up her arm to clean some of the milk off.

He was speechless by yet another attempt from her to embarrass him. He mentally cursed her inate ability to turn something bad for her into some kind of pleasure-inducing, Malik-torture action. "Freaking sadist," he muttered. The comment just made her more eager to lick the remaining milk off of her arms, all the while never taking her eyes off him. After about the fourth lick, Malik finally had had enough. "Please, Yoruichi-sama, just stop that."

"Why? You don't have to watch, you know?" She had him she thought.

"I can't," he admitted, surprising her. She could feel her heartbeat pick up its pace, along with a slight blush on her cheeks. "It's strange. It's like a carwreck. You know it's horrible but you can't look away."

Her blush and smile disappeared. 'Did he really just compare me licking myself to a carwreck?...WHAT THE FUCK?' Her frown turned into a glare at the insult and she was getting ready to put her shunko into a slap. But than he started laughing. Anger was replaced with confusion.

"You thought you had me that time, didn't you?" he asked while still laughing some. "At first, I thought you did too, but than...I don't know where it came from, but I thought it was too funny a comeback to let slip by."

The Shihoin goddess' eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, and she really did want to just go find her zanpakutou and go bankai on him. 'Hmm, come to think of it...I think I left it around here somewhere. It's been like ten years since I've seen it.' Unfortunately for her, despite wanting to hurt him, seeing him smiling and laughing made her heart flutter. That's what she wanted to see; not him sad and depressed, but happy. And she'd do anything to keep him smiling. 'Woah, where did that come from?'

She saw the empty glass and couldn't help but ask, "You want a refill?" while holding out the jug. She was amazed than by the massive sweatdrop that formed on the side of his head. "What?" she asked innocently.

She couldn't keep the coy smile on her face off as she said it. However, Malik surprised her when he accepted the offer. He held out his glass to her. Watching him for any signs of jesting, she didn't see any after a minute and obliged him by filling up the glass. "Atleast you can man up to some things," she stated. "Oh, besides, don't worry about any training for the next couple of days. We'll let you have enough time to grow accustomed to what's happened."

"Grow accustomed?" he asked. "Is that a nice way to say 'get over'?" She gave him a frown.

"No. No one should ever get over a friend or loved one dying. It would be pretty hard. We can only grow use to their absence." She gave him a tight, one-arm hug and a peck on his cheek, making him blush like a tomato. She saw the blush and the question in his eyes. "For comfort." He relaxed at that. "but pleasure too." She gave him a wink.

He didn't respond harshly or anything. He figured she was just yanking his chain like she always does. They were able to keep the conversations going for several more hours, laughing about some things, grieving about other things, but there never was an uncomfortable silence b/w the two.

Things were looking better in Malik's innerworld. The forests surrounding the massive tree that Gabriel resided upon were calm, the only sounds coming from the cool, 30mph gusts and the noises of the forest life. Said spirit was sitting indian-style at the very edge of one of the branches, eyes closed and smiling because the mindscape was peaceful again. Just above each shoulder was each of his smaller swords when released floating and rotating slowly.

He was taking this peaceful time to focus on a new move he would be teaching Malik soon. It would soon solve the nuisance of having to sheath his numerous swords around whenever it wanted to do something else. That was impractical and would soon get him killed. This will fix that problem.

In the vortex that Dragira spent most of her time in, it was as violent as ever, much to the spirit's joy. In fact, she was in such a joyful mood, she decided to give Gabriel some precipitation. Expanding her spiritual pressure, the effects could be felt in the other world. The rings of red and white clouds above the forest started slowly merging together, going from a light-red in the furthest reaches to a dark-red near the 'gate'(**A/N:** **That's just gonna be what I call the black hole/sphere thingy for the meantime. Suggestions are requested**), which didn't go unnoticed by the self-proclaimed 'Harbinger of Death' himself.

Looking up curiously, he knew Dragira was behind it, but what she was planning was lost to him. The clouds start condensing and his answer came to him in the form of a raindrop. The water had smacked him right by the eye, causing him to turn him head instinctively. His finger scooped up the droplet ffom his cheek and his bi-colored eyes studied it like an eagle. On his finger was a red, nearly transparent liquid.

'**Reiatsu**?'

The feeling of several more drops hitting him prompted him to look back up at the sky. He saw countless more raindrops screaming their way towards the forest below. He watched wordlessly as the red rain fell steadily over his half of Malik's mindscape. As he looked over the scene, he found it rather beautiful, something he would never admit verbally. **'She expanded her spiritual pressure and manifested its form into a liquid form. Creative**.'

"**I could get use to this. If you think you could make me angry over this, think again, Dragira**."

He looked up and smiled, not caring if she could see him or not, to let her know her plan backfired.

* * *

><p>(two weeks later)<p>

Things were proceeding as usual in the Squad 4's hospital. Out-patients were coming in and out throughout the day, same as nurses and medics of the Squad 4. Along the corridors of the hospital, all was quiet, just how Captain Unohana 'preferred' it. And what she decided was final and not questioned in her division, or in the 11th division even. Her reputation preceded her and just her smile was feared by even Captain Zaraki, much less his entire division. However, when someone should have the balls to question her rules, they were dealt with strictly, but peacefully.

That was what the most powerful woman in Soul Society was on her way to do now. She could hear his blabbering all the way from her office. What vile, horrible, disgusting creature could cause such a disturbance? She's heard hollows in their death-rows sound more serene than that. She took another left and was quite perturbed when it was coming from the direction of her most recently admitted patient.

She soundlessly stepped into the surgery recovery room where Captain Soifon was put in. She couldn't see the petite woman, for standing between her and Unohana's eyes was the source of the commotion, a monstrosity of a giant. She could only see its back but was thoroughly convinced that it must be a troll.

"Just what are you doing in the recovery room, may I ask?"

The creature turned around and the sight of its face upsetted the captain's stomach. Who else could it have been? Soifon's lieutenant, Marechio Omaeda. The man had crocodile tears coming out of his eyes and running down his bulbous facial features.

'I'm starting to wish I hadn't eaten before I came here,' Unohana thought. Her dark thoughts were perfectly masked with her patented closed-eye smile.

"Oh, Captain Unohana, I was just grieving over the condition my captain is in. That damn guy did her in good. There's no telling what he'd do-"

"-Lieutenant Omaeda, no one except staff are permitted in the recovery rooms, especially after surgery." She finished her sentence by slightly opening her eyes, completing 'the look'.

Normally, any being who either knew her, or had any will to live, would've ran away with their tails tucked between their legs, but unfortunately...Omaeda was about as sharp as a bowling ball. Coincidentally, he was shaped like one too. **(A/N: BUUUURRRNNN!) **The fool had no idea what he had just condoned upon himself as he continued blabbering through teary eyes. He noticed but didn't think of it important when Unohana told a nearby squad member to prepare the surgery room for another patient.

The member glanced into the recovery room and saw Omaeda yammering on and was able to put 2 and 2 together: This guy's not a staff member, and he's in the recovery room. "Should we expect him within the hour?"

Unohana smiled appreciatively. "Yes. Patient name: Marechio Omaeda. Injuries: Several compound fractures, several broken ribs, a cracked pelvis, a ripped rectom, and a hernia. Please make it quick, dear."

The girl winced as she wrote down the injuries and silently thanked God she wasn't born with the stupidity this Omaeda guy apparently had. "Absolutely, Captain."

As she left, the Captain turned her attention back to the large blob that had amazingly ceased to stop talking. ''How unfortunate,'' was all she said.

All ears of the Soul Society heard the blood-curdling screams erupt from the hospital, and only a few who had had the displeasure to feel Unohana's wrath knew what was going on. Kenpachi was just entering the Sereitei from a walk in the Rukon district when the scream reached him. A chill went up his spine, not from the scream, but from the memory of when he had accidentally pulled his eyepatch off inside the hospital. The destruction was indescribable, but it was dwarfed in comparison to the devastation that occured when Unohana did the one thing no one thought possible. She glared. What resulted afterwards was history best left unrepeated.

"Poor bastard," he said.

Yachiru easily heard it as well, but didn't know what it truly was. "Ken-chan, it sounds like someone's having a really great time! Wanna go see if they'll let you play?"

The large man barked a laugh at her innocence. "Yachiru, I'd be glad to play chicken with death any day, but I think I'll pass this time."

"Awwwww."

Back at the hospital, the smoking carcass of an unconscious Omaeda was lying on the ground, robes burned to pieces, the smell of burnt, crispy skin filling the noses of the medics currently trying to peel him off the floor, and Unohana was smiling like nothing had ever happened.

The four small 4th division healers finally managed to roll him onto the stretcher. If they thought that was hard, now they had to carry him.

"Alright..on three. One...two...three!" WIth a great heave and many torn back muscles later, the four finally got standing upright. As they slowly made their way of out the recovery room and into the surgery room, Unohana frowned.

"Dear, I hope that didn't hurt them too bad. I'll have to make it up to them somehow."

"I had hoped...if I played dead...he would have left me the Hell alone," came a strained voice.

The voice came from the only other person in the room. Soifon. Unohana's gentle smile returned when she saw her friend finally coming out of her long sleep. "I'm sorry about that...moron," the injured woman continued. "I swear...I would have killed him already if...he wasn't a noble's son." She let out a few coughs and surprising them both, some black smoke came out, as if she'd just got done eating fire.

"Just rest now, Soifon-san. You took a real beating. I'd never seen such a diversity of wounds, except for just what I did to Lt. Omaeda. You should count yourself lucky to be alive."

At hearing how close to death she was, Soifon grimaced, remembering all to well her fight with that Malik. 'Damn." "He just caught me off-guard. I was unprepared for his strength."

She about choked when she heard herself admit that. She started coughing some more, to which Unohana held a glass of water to her lips. "Drink this slowly, dear. You must be parched. When you came in, your body was shriveled like a plum. Your body's water percentage was half of what it should have been. Just what happened."

While Unohana was talking, Soifon was trying desparately to slowly drink the offered water and not down it in a single gulp. The cold water brought her instant relief everywhere it touched. On the first sip, she let it sit to give her cottonmouth some moisture before swallowing it. At the first swallow, she let out an "Ahhhhhh" when it traveled down her shriveled throat. She happily took another swallow.

When the question at the end was asked, the memories started flooding back to Soifon, and she unconsciously narrated the events as they appeared.

"It started when we entered the World of the Living. We were heading towards Kisuke's known residence but sensed several hollows in the nearby park. We could feel the spirit energy of another being, a plus, trying to get away."

_The hollow beast roared its last roar as a large spiked ball crushed its chest in. When the beast faded away, the chain to the ball shortened back to the hilt of a tall, chunky man. His captain, a short, black haired woman, finished off another pair of hollows, leaving just one left. It was the spirit of the young, beautiful girl lying dead to the side of them. Captain Soifon and Lt. Omaeda readied themselves to kill and purify this girl's spirit._

"We were able to kill them all, except..we did not make it in time to save her."

_They had felt Fran's spiritual pressure being chased by a dozen more. Making with all haste, they were still too late as the hollows slew the girl. However, when they tried to devour her spirit, her chain of fate had rapidly ate away at itself and she had transformed straight into an Adjuchas hollow. Normally, that only happened to beings with high spiritual pressure or plus souls._

"Her chain of fate ate itself away like no tomorrow. She hollowfied straight into an adjuchas-class menos."

_Even though it was just born, they knew it had great potential for destruction. The spiritual pressure of it was causing Omaeda's knees to quiver. Just as they were about to challenge it, a tremendous wave of reiatsu knocked them to their knees. They looked towards its direction and saw a massive pillar of reiatsu. The adjuchas that was now Fran lifted her finger and opened a garganta._

_"Hurry, Omaeda, it's getting away!" the petite captain ordered. With their shikais still released, they shunpo-ed on both sides of the hollow, but she punched the ground, creating an explosion that caused them to cancel their attacks. With their attacks halted, the hollow hopped through the garganta and escaped to Hueco Mundo_.

"We tried to purify her, to save her from a fate worse than death..but she managed to stall our attacks and escape through a garganta. That was when we focused on the unbelieveable energy signature."

_With no more threats, Captain Soifon turned her attention to a pillar of light that exploded upwards till they couldn't see it. "That's coming from Kisuke and Tessai's shop. What the Hell is going on?"_

"We were amazed with the power. It instantly had Omaeda sweating buckets, though I can't say that that takes much effort. Than, within seconds, that being, human, whatever he was, showed up."

_They soon saw a man appear out of shunpo about the nearby treeline. He gave the sight of the soon to be inferno a once-over before meeting with their eyes._

_"Who are you?" she demanded. She kept a stern scowl on her face; meanwhile, her subordinate was breathing heavily on his knees from this mans spiritual pressure._

_"My name's not important. Where's my Fran!" he yelled. He wanted answers and he'll get...that's when he saw her. His Fran's bloodied form lying lifeless on the ground. "FRAAANN!"_

"He quickly went to her side when he saw her. He was so shook up."

_"I asked for your name. Just who the hell are you?" Her voice was cold and heartless, despite his loss. He steadily got up on his feet, giving them a good look at the wings tattooed on his bare back. He turned around and started gathering his energy._

_"Did you kill my Fran?"_

_By this moment, Omaeda was laid out from his spiritual pressure. Soifon couldn't really blame him. She was starting to wish that she had been a bit more sympathetic. However, her obstinate stubborness refused to let her apologize or even clarify the situation. "I asked for your name._"

"Now that I'm thinking more clearly, I probably should have been less stubborn." Soifon caughed roughly again and took a couple of more swallows of the refressing water. Unohana, though still worried about her friend's condition, was surprised, yet happy, that Soifon admitted something like that. The miracle of her survival must've had a bigger impact on her mindset than before. She could only hope the young woman would continue to soften up some.

"Wait till next time though. My power and speed were reduced greatly since we were in the World of the Living and I had the limiter on. I'll show him next time. I'll be ready."

Unohana wanted to sigh outloud and voice her disappointment, but she opted with just a small frown. "But, why don't you just eliminate this bad blood between you two and thoroughly explain what really happened? He sounds like one who would listen to reason from what the other captains have told me."

Her advice fell on stubborn ears again. Where had that small bit of care from just a moment gone too? "No. He attacked me and my lieutenant. That doesn't go unanswered."

"Please continue with your story, dear." That wasn't a request. It was a command. The tone took the petite second squad captain by surprise, but continued.

_"I am Malik," he responded, his body now like it was when he'd first released Dragira. Soifon felt a bit of fear when she looked into his bright red and blue eyes. She saw nothing but pure malice and death. "And I do not take orders from you, Soul Reaper. Now answer my question!"_

_She brought her Suzumebachi up. "If you disobey my orders, than obviously you are not of Soul Society. And if you raise your weapon at me, than you are an enemy of Soul Society."_

_His spiritual pressure spiked again, sending her to a knee. "Soul Society, huh? You all will pay," he promised. He sheathed his two long zanpakutou and brought out his smaller ones. Yoruichi saw what he was doing and tried to yell some sense into him_.

"His spiritual pressure was massive. I had never felt anything like it from anyone other than one of the captains. In the reports just a couple of months ago, he was only at a lieutenant's level. How he acquired the power that usually takes decades, if not a century to get, in such a short time is unbelievable. That's why I was so unprepared. My men couldn't get any new intel on him since Kisuke's been training him."

_He pointed his twin zanpakutou at Soifon and Omaeda. "Beam of Judgement!" The massive beams shot from his zanpakutou and Soifon barely had time to kick Omaeda out of the way and avoid getting hit herself. The beams' impact caused a massive explosion that continued everywhere he pointed his blades at. The trenches were atleast fifty yards wide as the beams destroyed the ground._

_Figuring Omaeda would do more harm than good, she opened a Senkaimon. He was too weak to be of any use. "Omaeda, get your fat ass to Soul Society and get back up! Bring some captains!" The oaf gathered what strength he could and dove through the opening. Moments later, the beams passed over the door, effectively destroying it_.

"His attacks were devastating. Such raw energy purely meant for absolute destruction of whatever got in its way. He had so much energy."

_After what seemed like minutes, the beams died down. Malik sheathed the two four-foot zanpakutous and brought out his other two, Gabriel and Dragira. Dragira, in her release form, was similar to Gabriel's in length and blade curvature, but her handguard was a piece of steel that bent away from the hilt, over his hand, and continued down for another foot. If need be, it could be used as a knife or dagger. The blade had inch deep serated teeth along her 6ft length. It was all blood red._

_"Kisuke-taicho. Please do me a favor and get Fran's body out of here. It'd mean the world to me_."

"I figure he was just getting her out of the way of the fight. Not in my wildest dreams did I think of what he was about to do. He kept me on the defensive the entire time. He speed and strength were incredible, and his zanjutsu technique was flawless."

She looked up at the 4th division captain. "No hard feelings, but I think he'd give you a run for your money." The 4th Squad captain just nodded in acceptance. Little did anyone save for the captains know, her humble duties and loving smile was just one half of her being. It hid perhaps the most lethal swordsman in all of Soul Society. Not to say she wasn't nice and caring, because she honestly was. She hated seeing people getting hurt, friend or foe, and would heal either if able.

_"Crimson Flames of Death!" he yelled_.

_A massive crescent line of red energy flew from his lash straight towards Soifon. Said woman's eyes widen as a skinny wave of red death a couple of hundred yards long came right for her. As she nimbly dodged it, Malik slung dozens more with each swing of Dragira. He made sure to make them intersecting at various angles to make successful evasion as hard as possible_.

"There was much power behind those attacks, but I was able to weave through the criss-crossing patterns of it. However.."

_Using the shunpo skills she was infamous for, she dodged each an every one of them. However, all of those blasts were still going, and heading straight towards the town_.

"Kisuke and Tessai, I recognized easily. There was another one, a woman, but she had her face concealed. They went after the stray attacks and were able to stop them. Than, that's when it happened."

_"So are you even going to tell me why you killed Fran? She was just an innocent woman."_

_He stopped his assault and graced her with a brief reprieve. She eagerly gobbled up any air that she could. Eventually, her panting turned to slow, heavy breaths. "Why do...(gasp).. you think we killed her?"_

_"Stupid question," he remarked. "I get here and see your weapons bloody and my Fran dead. There is no excuse in the world for what you did. There's nothing I can think of that will bring her back. However," he lowered his swords, "I can start by killing you_!"

"He asked me why we killed her. I had my chance right there to clear this mess up, but I didn't take the it."

_"Incendia Respiro!"_

_Soifon was wrong when she figured his spiritual pressure couldn't go higher. The air was so thick with reiatsu that she was afraid she was going to drown in it. He filled his lungs with air and roared at Soifon. Hot flames flew out of his mouth and enveloped the entire park area, the size of two football fields side by side. Soifon had saw the fire forming at the back of his mouth and felt something bad was about to happen. And she was right. She shunpo-ed high above the field before it was turned into a firestorm._

_"No way." Even from her height, the heat of the fire was cooking her skin_.

"He breathed fire, like a dragon. That heat was so intense. The closest thing I've ever felt to it was the General's Ryuujin Jakka I could feel the moisture in my eyes evaporating, so I closed them. Fatal mistake."

_Malik unleashed another Incendia Respiro up at the vulnerable Soifon. The sight was breath-taking as the sky high above their general area became nothing but a swirling mass of fire. Through all of the fire, they saw a single figure drop from it towards the ground_.

"And that was all I remember. It felt like my lungs were being sucked right out of my body and I passed out. How bad was I?" Unohana's smile turned upside down at the memory of what the captain's state of being was.

"You had third degree burns over your chest, stomach, and arms. Most of it we were able to heal, along with help from Captain Mayuri, but some were too far burnt to heal and will become scars. The worst part was that your lungs were slowly deteriorating, as if they were on fire. Mayuri was able to make replacements for you despite the such short notice, and we had to do surgery. When we got your lungs out, they were literally charred beyond recognition. He took them to his laboratory to study what was causing it."

The shock that was on Soifon's face said more than words ever could. 'I was really that close to death. I will not be humiliated again. I'll kill that bastard.'

"You should rest now, Soifon. Don't let me catch you trying to escape," she said smiling, but Soifon felt a few beads of sweat roll down her forehead at the hidden meaning.

"Yes, Captain Unohana. But, could you send a hell butterfly to my third seat? He's in charge till either me or Omaeda get out." She briefly wondered if her third seat would be up to the task. Heck, she trusted him to do a better job than her current lieutenant. Damn, how the hell did he even get the spot? Undoubtably from his just as lardy, stuck-up father, who was a noble, pressuring the Gotei 13 and Central.

"Yes, Soifon, dear, I'll be sure to do that. That was quite an interest story. A human breathing fire, I've never heard of such a thing." 'The changes that his body would have to undergo would be monstrous. He wouldn't even be a human than' she figured.

"You believe me, don't you?" she asked. It would be a monstrous blow for one of her role-models to think she was insane.

"Of course, Soifon," Unohana replied softly. "I'm well aware of your detailed reports and their accuracy. If it was coming from anybody else, I would have thought it was a joke."

Soifon felt a huge breath of air come out that she didn't even know she was holding. "Thank you, Captain Unohana. That means alot to me." 'Thank goodness.'

The older captain smiled motherly and patted her gently on the shoulder. "You rest up now. Patients shouldn't be awake so soon after surgery."

"How long have I been out?"

"Two weeks, Soifon," was the calm answer from the 4th Squad captain, who then left the room, leaving Soifon in a state of disbelief.

'Two weeks.' Her body soon ran out of energy again and she fell asleep again. Her last thought was 'Bastard.'

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the first division's captain's room, Yamamoto was waiting for a reply from Central 46 concerning the loose human known as Malik. He had sent a letter explaining the situation as clearly as possible, along with discoveries made by Kurotsuchi and his lieutenant, which were being constantly updated. Testimony from Captain Soifon was impossible due to her being incapacitated and nearly dying.<p>

Whatever decision Central 46 made would determine what they would have the Gotei 13 do about it.

He could sympathize with the boy, but he has gotten himself mixed up in something bigger than he can imagine. The murder of Fran, which served as the catalyst for him fighting Captain Soifon is still under investigation. Captain Aizen has taken a big interest in it for some reason, as have Captain Kurotsuchi.

Reasons for the latter's envolvement were understandble. Kurotsuchi was just wanting another lab rat to experiment on. Why Aizen-taicho would want anything to do with this case couldn't be anything more than curiosity. Also, ever since the morning of the attack, Captain Kenpachi has had several tantrums, having already completely destroyed the Squad 11's barracks four times. It was reported that he would go take a long walk through the Rukongai after each fit. The head captain hadn't the slightest clue as to why Kenpachi was showing this kind of behavior. It was just one fight that got interrupted. He has never acted this way before.

A knock sounded from the door, but Yamamoto had long ago sensed his Lt. arriving. "Enter," he said with a rather large, commanding voice.

The doors opened and Lt. Chojiro walked in front of his desk and bowed respectively. "Captain Yamamoto, the reply from Central 46 has arrived. They didn't tell me anything except that all you needed to hear was on the paper."

He dropped the envelope on the desk which was quickly received by the old man's hands. He gave proof of his signature via spiritual pressure and the packet opened. Looking over the packet, his eyes slightly widened at the answer.

_'From what you have presented us with concerning the powered human, Malik, we have all made a consensus. The human, Malik, has been deemed too dangerous to live among the World of the Living. The Gotei 13 are authorized to use whatever means to locate and eliminate him.'_

* * *

><p>Aizen was sitting in his throne with his two trusted bodyguards by his side. They had gotten back the other day expecting to be welcomed by Ulquiorra along with the 'Ghost Cat'. Imagine their expressions when they were told who the Quinto had took with him and that they were still gone. Five espada and the captain of the Exequias after just a single adjuchas.<p>

"Abit of an overkill, don't cher think, Aizen-taicho?" Aizen waved off the notion, trusting the his most loyal Espada had a perfectly good reason to enlist so many Espada to accompany him.

"Ulquiorra normally thinks very low of the other arrancars," Tosen reminded. "For him to gather several others, including the Primera, is highly unusual." The other two conceded to his point. Ulquiorra was normally one who held himself very high above most. Just why did he think he'd need so many powerful soldiers to help him?

So they had waited up to now, having already filed for time off from duty to be here, keeping their senses opened for any signs of their Espada. They were still outside of Las Noches.

"Ya don't think they're actually having trouble catching this girl, do ya?" Gin asked, trying to start some conversation while they waited. However, what he really wanted to do was waste time doing his favorite past-time: creeping out the arrancars. There were even rumors that he didn't even have eyes since he nevered showed.

Aizen's smile never faded and it only seemed to grow a little bit at the question. "She might be able to avoid them for some time, but she will eventually be found. I have faith in my Espada. How much trouble could a single adjuchas be?"

* * *

><p>Several hundred more explosions snaked their way along the entire length of the storm, claiming atleast a hundred more Exequias soldier. Grimmjow could see the flashes of the explosions barely, even though he was just fifty meters from the newly created trail of death. He placed his hand up to provide some kind of protection from the blowing sands. He hissed in annoyance at the sands that felt like millions of tiny daggers hitting him.<p>

At first, he didn't bother him, but after two weeks of constant battering, his hierro was slowly wearing thin. He had already burned through his regular hierro, so three days ago, he eventually released Pantera to offer better protection and increase his senses and speed.

'I'm sure I'm not the only one. I wonder how the others are doing. I haven't seen Ulquiorra or Halibel in over a week. I felt Zommari release about a week ago as well. I hope the bastard's dead or something.'

Sounds to his right. He turned as fast as he could just as another trail of explosions bloomed along the ground. Through the brief light, he caught the barely distinguishable silhouette of something large. 'That's gotta be her!' He was getting pretty pissed off at this hollow. Despite the much respect he had for her, he had been in here for two damn weeks! 'Damn bitch!'

He aimed his elbow at the figure and shot several darts. The projectiles flew at a speed invisible to the naked eye and exploded on contact. His grin grew when his sharp nose grabbed onto the smell of blood. "HAHAHAHAAA! GOT'CHA!"

* * *

><p>Zomarri was beyond pissed. Words couldn't describe his anger. And it all started when that 'Ghost Cat' decided to test their resolve by dragging them into this hellhole. How could one maneuver and evade several Espada, while at the same time dealing massive casualties, in this giant storm? He couldn't see ten feet in front of him. Like with Grimmjow, his hierro had been battered by the endless sands nonstop for over a week before he finally had to release himself to gain more protection.<p>

'How has this inferior hollow survived this long without the storm taking a huge toll on her. It's impossible.'

Another series of explosions ripped through the storm, their concussive sounds easily reaching his ears. However, because of the multitude of directions the wind was blowing, he couldn't decipher which direction it was coming from. Much to his unease, the sounds were getting louder. Too loud! He jumped to the left just in time to dodge a trail of explosions slithering through the storm. The blast itself didn't do much damage but the sound waves did a number on his ears.

Bringing his hands up to shield them, he opened his eyes which shot open at the sight of several blue projectiles heading right at him. They came too fast and struck him dead center in his chest. He recognized the reiatsu as the Sexta's, Grimmjow.

'Bastard! Why is he shooting at me!' Karma decided to answer his question with another barrage of darts. They too struck his body, the explosions from the impact being enough to send him flying head over heels backwards.

The blows knocked the wind out of him entirely. He was weezing heavily on the ground helplessly for the moment. However, fate once again seemed to be against him. When he looked up from the ground, he saw the 'Ghost Cat' standing there looking down at him. His angered gaze was returned by one of satisfaction. Without muttering a word, she turned around and charged up a cero from her tail's end. It was red with a blue hue to it and Zommari could sense the 'Ghost Cat's' spiritual pressure for the first time.

He was definately wrong, even though he had a reason to be, to underestimate her. Her spiritual pressure was massive for an adjuchas. How many hollows had she eaten since she got here? On the first day, it was well over four hundred. Unless she went out while they were in this storm, she shouldn't have gotten as strong as this. He couldn't be sure, but he was certain that she wasn't far away from becoming a vasto lorde whether she knew it or not.

He looked closer and saw blood stains over her paws and jaws. 'Where did she get that blood from?' She fired her basketball sized cero towards where Grimmjow's spiritual pressure was coming from. She had taken up a dangerous amount of time charging that cero. Both of them were sure that the rest of the Espada had sensed it and were on their way here.

Knowing this, she took off again, disappearing from his sight. Upon seeing her speed for the first time, he lost his breath. He knew she was faster than him, but it still hit hard seeing his title of fastest sonido-er being stripped away from him right in front of his eyes. Not much later, a large blue cero raced right at him.

The explosion was heard throughout the storm. The rest of the Espada knew that explosion was much larger than the ones they'd been hearing and seeing for the past two weeks. It must've been an Espada firing a cero. A massive one.

They all were already on their way to investigate the new spiritual pressure right before the cero, so hearing the explosion made them quicken their pace. Ulquiorra, Neliel, Grimmjow, and Rudobon, as well as a couple hundred of his soldiers arrived within a minute. To their shock, instead of the 'Ghost Cat', they found the bloodied body of a nearly dead Zommari.

"What the happened to him?"

No one could really answer Neliel's question. Ulquiorra and Rudobon just watched the resealed body in silence before she walked over and vomited on him. Needless to say, they were all pretty grossed out by it. Grimmjow couldn't even look in the same direction. "Damn, Nel, you sure got a fucked up way of saving a life."

The Cuarto's eyes narrowed in annoyance, but she resisted the urge to tell him off since Zommari was in critical condition. She vomited again and rubbed her saliva covered hand over several puncture wounds across the fallen espada's chest. She stopped and heightened her senses over his body. As the wounds slowly closed, she stood up, walked over to Grimmjow, and slapped him upside the back of his head with her lance.

To say Grimmjow was confused was an understatement. Neliel, the most peaceful arrancar in Hueco Mundo's history, just slapped him out of nowhere. The only intelligent response he could muster was, "WOMAN! WHAT THE HELL?"

"Grimmjow, your spiritual pressure is all over Zommari's wounds. How do you explain that?" she asked. She put emphasis to her mad attitude by crossing her arms under her chest and hoofin the sand. The interrogated man looked like she had just said the dumbest thing ever.

"What do you mean, 'it's all over him'? I haven't seen him in three days! All I know is I saw a large figure, shot some darts at it, and scored a hit. When I went to go check it out, a damn cero almost kissed me right on the freakin lips, so I fired one back."

Her eyes remained on him with distrust, yet Ulquiorra broke up their argument. "We all sensed an unfamiliar spiritual pressure here. I believe the Grimmjow may've shot Zommari by accident, thinking he was the hollow. However, I can guess that's when it came in front of him and fired off a cero at Grimmjow. When he fired back towards where it came from, it most likely was set up to where it'd hit Zommari."

Neliel suddenly felt guilty towards her assault on Grimmjow, being the pure-hearted woman she was. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Grimmy." His smirk he had ready to accept the apology disappeared behind an unbreakable frown.

"Call me that again and I'll cut your feet off and play horseshoes with'em," he snarled. Much to his displeasure, she just giggled at his attempt to intimidate her and patted his head from her higher spot. He swiped her hand away. "I ain't no damn pet, Nel! Cut it out!"

Rudobon motioned several of his men to pick up Zommari. "Carry his body out of this storm. It would be impossible for his body to heal in these conditions." His masked men nodded and picked up the fallen Espada body before sonidoing from the storm.

There was silence for about a minute before Grimmjow noticed someone was missing. "Hey, where the hell's Halibel?" The rest looked around and sure enough, Halibel was among them.

* * *

><p>Fran was chuckling at the aftermath of what she had done. "Damn male. Serves him right."<p>

To be honest, she hadn't expected that to happened. In fact, she had came up with that idea at that moment, but the results were perfect. She had watched the other Espada arrive to their comrade's position and found great enjoyment from the confusion. Unfortunately, the pale one had to figure it out so fast. 'Spoilsport.'

As the distance b/w her and the group widened, she couldn't help but laugh aloud. 'They are so powerful, but a mere 'inferior' adjuchas is beating them in a battle of attrition and wits. How ironic.' She was currently heading back to a rear of the storm, but suddenly collapsed onto her knees. The air suddenly felt like lead and her breathing became very strained.

She knew what this meant. This was someone releasing a massive amount of spiritual pressure meant to make one's movements sluggish. 'Who could be doing this? I made sure to put enough distance between us. Who-'

"I've finally found you, 'Ghost Cat'."

Her head snapped upwards and there, floating about fifty yards over her, was Halibel. Fran's shock showed on her face as the Primera walked down invisible stairs and stopped right in front of her. Though her size was about a fifth of the adjuchas', her figure and stance demanded absolute obedience from Fran, who could only comply with staying on her knees.

"H-How?" Fran asked painfully. Jeez, even talking took a bunch out of her. The Primera gently laid her hand flat against Fran's forehead in a calming manner.

"Got'cha," she said smoothly. "It took me a week to notice that you traveled in a set of multiple patterns throughout the storm. It took me another week to figure out which order the patterns you traveled went in. You would start by traveling in concentric clockwise circles, starting from the rear, than cut down the middle from front to back every three rounds. You would than travel into several Z's before finishing with another circle. After running through those two patterns three times, you would go in straight lines back and forth about a mile apart."

Fran felt her breath leave her at having been told her entire strategy right before her eyes. 'Halibel...you are truly incredible.' She had completely underestimated the Espada's intellect. She had atleast felt like it would've taken them a month at most to figure it out, but Halibel did it in half the time. She truly was her better.

Without needing to, Fran lowered her head to the ground. "Very well, you win the challenge. I will come with you to meet Aizen."

Halibel nodded and let loose a burst of her spiritual pressure to signal the others. "That was the most fun I've ever had, 'Ghost Cat'. It was enjoyable."

"Fran."

"What?" she asked back. The massive cat looked at the Primera and repeated 'Fran.'

"My name is Fran."

The Primera nodded in understanding. A few seconds later, they were soon joined by the remaining Espada and Rudobon. The first one to open their mouth, as expected, was Grimmjow. "THE HELL? How'd you catch her?"

"She had been going in a series of patterns," Halibel answered. She met Ulquiorra's eyes which closed in thought.

"I was aware that she was going in patterns," he said, "but I just didn't know what order they were in. Good job, Halibel." His emotionless face conflicted with his compliment, which by all means sounded sincere.

Grimmjow just huffed while Fran was approached by Neliel. "You really made us work hard, you know? That's very impressive. Me and Zommari are the fastest of the Espada and you literally ran circles around us."

Fran just looked at the ground solemnly before striking a chord in the two women present. "One should not give up their freedom so easily."

Strike a chord it did. It made Neliel let our a little gasp. 'So..she was already aware of what the cost would be.' And even more, she thought about herself. Sure, it took some convincing, but she didn't give much trouble. Had she given up her freedom so carelessly?

"My name is Fran. A pleasure to meet you, Neliel." The sad look on the Espada's face switched to a soft smile, which was followed by a hand rub.

"The pleasure's mine, Fran. You know, you've gotten alot stronger than when I first sensed your spiritual pressure. How did that happen?"

"She fed on the bodies of the slained Exequias while evading us," Halibel answered. "Rudobon had unknowingly provided her an endless supply of food. Her spiritual pressure has atleast tripled during these past two weeks."

Neliel looked upset again, though she could understand. Being chased constantly by several stronger hollows and not having a chance to rest, all while in a massive sandstorm, one would need to feed constantly. "How many did you eat?" she couldn't help but ask. Rudobon wasn't exactly looking forward to hearing the answer. He knows he lost a ton of soldiers in the past weeks.

Fran thought it over, but thankfully, her inner voice had been keeping count, like it was some sort of highscore board. "I've managed to only devour 623 out of the 2134 that I've killed." The answer was more than enough to leave everyone speechless, save for the growling of Rudobon. Grimmjow took an instant liking to her. Heh, who doesn't like a woman with an appetite? She managed to even get some respect from Ulquiorra, who knew it as well.

"I have always considered you trash, Fran. But,...perhaps you are something more," he complimented. "You are certainly not as mindless as the majority of hollows out here. I applaud your survival tactics."

Grimmjow and Neliel's jaws were catching sand after hearing that. "What the FUCK, Ulquiorra! You always call me trash and I'm an Espada!" Grimmjow yelled.

Ulquiorra threw him a 'Do I really have to explain myself again or weren't you listening' look, one that spoke for itself. The violent Grimmjow was about to just lob the Quinto's head off with his elbow blades, but Halibel diffused the already built up tension. "Enough, Grimmjow. Let's get out of this storm and return to Las Noches. Aizen-sama is undoubtably wanting to know of our whereabouts."

"Tch.." he responded and disappeared outside the storm via sonido. The others soon arrived and saw that the Exequias from earlier were still taking care of Zommari. "Can we just leave him in the storm, Halibel? I hate the guy."

She didn't give him the honor of a reply and disappeared with Ulquiorra and Fran. Neliel went over and lifted Zommari onto her back and disappeared. Grimmjow was so annoyed, he fired several balas at the lonely arrancars, killing them instantly. "ehh...that helped a little," he mumbled. He went into sonido was well to catch up with the others.

* * *

><p>(Las Noches)<p>

The bathroom door in Apache's room opened, breathing steam and heat into her usually chilly room. Another day that their mistress was gone. Ever since she left with several other Espada to go catch a hollow that Aizen was interested in, things were crazy at first. Halibel wasn't there to stop her and Mila's arguments. Sun-Sun tried several times, but they'd just take their frustrations out on her or some of the other fraccion. Nothing too serious of course, just the normal cat fights they get into.

She wrapped her towel up around her hair, leaving her nude in her own room. The sudden temperature drop caused goosebumps to rise all over her skin. The chill was actually painful, but she shivered in slight masochistic delight. It's what totally makes those extremely hot showers worth it. But, the normally blissful chill she'd get was dampered by something.

Walking over to her drawers where she keeps her spare uniforms, she was greeted by her reflection from the large mirror sitting on top of the furniture. She studied her body like some sort of critic, eyeing each piece of her body. She cupped her b-cups in her hands and gave them a few squeezes. Turning sideways, she did a once-over of her butt. There were curves there. She wasn't flat on either side like those guys said she was.

And there's the reason for her self-consciousness. Earlier today, she had overheard a group of male arrancars talking about some of the girls. Alot of them had agreed the Mila-Rose had the best body. She was about to go knock some sense into them, but than other girls' names got brought up. They believed Sun-Sun could have a nice body, but they weren't sure because she hides it under her long dress and jacket. Ying and Yang had themselves a nice sized fan club. They were considered the hotter of the two pairs of twins, the only other ones being Loly and Menoly. They talked about how they'd love to let Ying bring out the whip on them.

She had unknowingly found herself suppressing her spiritual pressure to nothing and was carefully listening in from around the corner. Than, much to her horror, her name came up. There were maybe one or two compliments which made her quite happy, but that joy was shattered by the rest of the comments.

_'Is Apache a boy or a girl?' Nirrge asked._

_'The girl's tits are probably weird, like some monkey tits or something.' That sounded like Ggio._

_'The horn on her head looks like a giant dildo.' some unknown joked._

_'Her butt's flatter than the floor.' Avirama joked._

_'She's too manly. Charlottes's more of a girl than she is.' That was Di Roy._

_'Why is her resurreccion so hairy? I get it's a deer and all, but I don't even think they're that hairy.' Shawlong._

_'I bet she's got a bigger dick than you, Granz.' That was Ggio again._

That had been the straw that broke the camel's back for her. She felt her softer emotions soaring past her barriers and made a dash straight to her mistress' palace, blowing past Mila and Sun-Sun, completely ignoring a snarky remark much to their dismay, and heading straight to her room where she locked herself in. When she was certain nobody else was around, she undressed, went into the shower, and cried. She didn't notice the powerful spiritual pressure that had been listening just from the other side of the room like she was, though much less suspicious.

"What do you think that was about? the amazonian asked her partner. Sun-Sun was at a lost for words from Apache's strange behavior.

"I don't know. I've never seen her so upset," she replied honestly. Though she looked unphazed, there was a deep frown hidden behind her sleeve. "We should check up on her." Mila and Sun-Sun knew something was wrong. Apache never missed a chance to have an argument.

That was the first giveaway. They crept up to her door with glasses between their ears and it. They could hear some clothes hitting the floor and another door closing. Seconds later the sound of water hitting the floor could be heard. They waited there for about ten minutes before finally just deciding to wait till she came out.

Back in the present, Apache looked at herself with confused eyes. It wasn't her fault that her mask fragment was a horn on her head. She couldn't help it that her boobs and butt weren't as big and perky like Mila's. Her breasts certainly didn't resemble a monkey's. So what if she was kinda tom-boyish. It was in her blood. She didn't know why her resurreccion had to be a deer, it just was.

"Stupid men," she muttered. She went to the mirror, reared back her fist, and punched it as hard as she could. The blow shattered the glass into a hundred pieces, some sticking in her hand and other bits flying off. Pulling out her spare uniform, she put it on.

There was some banging on her door. It was Mila-Rose, with Sun-Sun off to the side. "Hey, Apache, what's with ya? What was that noise? It sounded like broken glass." When she didn't get a response fast enough, she banged on it some more.

Apache's frown just deepened. 'If she wants an answer, I'll give her one.' She took a couple of steps back and started building up energy. It soon manifested into a red orb at the tip of her horn. "Cero."

Mila's eyes widen like dish bowls when she heard 'cero.' "Sun-Sun, get down!" she screamed. She tackled the unstartled girl to the floor. Before the asian girl could even yell, a massive red cero about ten yards wide ripped right over their heads through the door, completely disintegrating it along with everything else that was in its path. When it died down, Mila-Rose jumped up to her feet with a tick mark pulsating on her head.

Looking through the hole where Apache's door was, they could see the irate girl standing with her fists clenched around her chakrams. The glare she was sending their way would've made Grimmjow proud if he had seen it. The two knew something had pissed Apache off and she didn't look like she cared who got hurt or killed.

"Apache! What the hell's gotten into you? You about took our heads off with that cero!" Apache only responded by firing another cero from her horn, this one aimed right for Mila-Rose. Said girl had to resort to sonido to avoid being blasted into next year. Sun-Sun immediately took evasive maneuvers but only watched in concern.

"Get the fuck back, MILA-ROSE," the berserked arrancar yelled. In a buzz of sonido, she left the room, leaving a utterly confused and concerned Mila and Sun-Sun behind to digest what the hell just happened.

The two nodded wordlessly and took off after her. They didn't have to go very far. Apache had went straight to one of the nearby lounging halls. The two could sense several other arrancars there, a combination of Baraggan and Grimmjow's fraccion.

Apache appeared infront of them all, her sudden appearance startled many of the males. "Hey, it's the deer girl!" Avirama teased. Apache's immediate response was to immediately charge a cero and fire it at the group.

Everyone was too surprised by the sudden assault to even move, much less comprehend what was going on. The cero blast nailed Avirama, Granz, and Tesra, blowing them through the wall, through the room on the other side, through that wall, and into the next room. Everyone's eyes followed from where their companions laid under rubble back to the insane woman.

"What the hell is with her?" no one in particular asked. It didn't matter to Apache who it was. They were all the same. She charged another cero and blasted Shawlong clear through the same walls.

Now everyone had an idea of what was going on and scattered across the room to make time to better defend themselves. Apache was seeing blood now. She charged towards a group of unfamiliar numeros(no one special) and decapitated two of them with her small blades. Everyone, including Sun-Sun and Mila-Rose and even some of the other female arrancars who had heard the ruckus, who saw the normally cocky girl behead two arrancars in blind rage and with no remorse, couldn't believe their eyes.

Mila and Sun-Sun immediately enlisted the help of one of the twins, Ying, and Menoly to help restrain her. Apache was about to cut another head off but something grabbed hold of her wrist and prevented her chakram from killing another one. She looked back through tear-stained eyes at Ying, who had used her whip to catch her wrist.

"Apache, stop this," the twin demanded. She didn't care though and started charging another cero, but Mila and Menoly tackled her to the ground. When she was down, Sun-Sun casually made her way over to her friends and sat down on Apache's legs.

"Apache, don't make me hurt you, you crazy bitch!" Mila was struggling to hold her down. Apache's body was pumping tons of adrenaline through her veins and she didn't want to stop till every guy was dead. Sun-Sun was busy holding the enraged girl's legs down to help prevent any possible injuries from being caused by them.

"YOU FUCKING PRICKS! JUST WAIT TILL I GET OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THIS COW! I'MMA RIP ALL OF YOUR THROATS OUT! YOU HEAR-" a hand had struck the back of Apache's head, knocking her out cold.

Mila, Menoly, and Sun-Sun looked up to see who had done it and were not expecting to see one of the Privaron Espada. He was an insanely tall, muscled-up, white guy with his hair cut really short and left flat on top. He looked annoyed more than anything. "Don't worry, I didn't hit her too hard. I heard the commotion and came to see dead bodies on the ground and you three holding this one down."

He looked over and noticed two bus-sized holes in the wall, and well as holes in the walls of the room beyond that. "Damn, she did a number on the place."

Seeing as Apache was indeed outcold, some of the male arrancar started closing in on her. Mila-Rose and Sun-Sun saw them and got between them. Ying joined them as well, generating electricity through her whip and cracked it to make them back up. Remarri turned around at the crack and saw what the situation was turning into. Edrad charged at them, only to make it halfway there before being shoulder-blocked through several walls by a giant blur.

Standing where they last saw Edrad was Remarri with his shoulder bent down. He straightened up and turned towards the men, making them back up in both fear and nervousness. "You're not going to lay a finger on these girls, you understand me, you little shits."

The girls weren't expecting a Privaron to come to their aid and honestly, they were thankful for it. The male arrancars, though were pissed. "What the hell? She attacked us for no reason!" Nakeem yelled.

"Bullshit!" the hulking privaron shot back. "I was passin by when I had heard ya'll's little conversation about how hot or ugly each girl was." Their faces paled slightly when they realized he knew the truth. However, the girls had no idea what he was talking about. "Ya'll said some darn inappropriate things about these ladies, but Jesus, the things you said about Apache here probably made your grandmas roll over in their graves!"

By now, several more numeros and fraccion nearby had caught wind of the commotion and come to see what was taking place. Among them were Tosen, who had sensed a reckless release of ceros outside of the training facility and came to investigate, and another of the Privaron Espada, Mosinguelle Tunichi. The semi-lanky man looked outta place among the small crowd of about twenty onlookers. He was just on his way to visit Halibel, unaware that she was away on a mission.

"Hell, you mocked her about her horn, her figure; you joked that she probably had a dick, that her ass was flat and had monkey tits; that she was manlier than most of yourselves. Just what the hell do ya got against her?"

Upon hearing a brief summary of the things they said, all of the girls' eyes became daggers aimed at each of the fraccion responsible. They also pitied Apache. She wasn't ugly at all. She must've overheard those mean things being said about her and just lost it. There was green energy radiating off of Remarri's right forearm now, signaling this his Cero: Shotgun was ready to fire at a moment's notice. He doubt he'd need it, because his snarl was enough to keep them at bay.

"Go and pull your buddies out of the rubble over there. Than every single one of you are going to line up and apologize...and you're going to mean it," he threatened. However, some of Barragan's fraccion were pretty stubborn, being his fraccion and all. They didn't make any extra movements save for retrieving their friends.

"I SAID LINE UP!" the former Marine yelled in a drill instructor's voice while launching his cero shotgun at the off-guard fraccion. Tosen already had his sword unsheathed and was ready to put down the Privaron Espada, but he stopped when he sensed that none of the fraccion were hit. Having closed their eyes at the flash of green light, the fraccion opened them and saw several basketball sized holes outlining all of their bodies along the walls, like someone had perfectly traced their bodies.

The sound of more radiating energy filled the room as Remarri charged another shot. "The next one will take off all of your heads," he spatted.

With no need for more motivation, the males all lined up to a just awakened Apache who had heard the last sentence from Remarri. She couldn't believe her eyes as she saw all of the ones responsible for her misery complying as if he were Aizen himself.

Tosen and Mosinguelle watched as each and every one of the fraccion repeat what they had said so everyone would know who said what and than apologize. The women present looked atleast content with the event while the guilty party members were fuming at having been forced to do something so weak and embarrassing. Afterwords, the Privaron told them to scram. As they were leaving, he fired off several balas to make them leave quicker for good measure.

When the deed was done, he knelt down so he was closer to Apache's eye level. He gave her a supportive hand on the shoulder along with a soft smile, something she didn't know how to react to. First, she was so badly crushed by the insults about her, than was in a blind rage, and now that this Privaron who, whom she had never met before, made them all apologize to her, the only thing she could do was hug him tightly around the neck. He was a little uneasy with the close contact, especially with whom he assumed had to be a minor, but than he felt the cold wetness of tears on his neck. It made him relax some, him now seeing her as a young lady who had been verbally lynched unable to express her gratitude in words.

He slowly brought his hand up and held the back of her head while the other one softly rubbed her back. The scene was heart-touching to Tosen, the man seeing a hollow stick up for another, weaker hollow. Though they were arrancars, they were still hollows who were suppose to have not feelings due to a lack of a heart. Perhaps he and all of the shinigami have misjudged them greatly over the thousands of years. It was a thought he would give considerable thought too.

Seeing merely two lowly numeros dead, he saw no real reason to punish the young girl. The things those fraccion said were just disgusting and he could feel the evil and hate inside each of their hearts. It was a disgusting thing. Unless it changed, he would feel no remorse if they were slained. He sought justice in all forms afterall. Turning to leave, he felt a very sick, very dead, soul standing just feet away from him. It held much despair and anger, so much that it was rare for him to find one. But, he also saw something out-shining it all. A small light amidst a sea of darkness that illuminated everything.

'Very odd,' he thought. Normally, if the majority of one's soul was darkness, than whatever light that was present was faint and always on the verge of defeat. However, this light was much stronger. 'A resolve? What could be so strong within a hollow?' He was thinking about it till he felt a new group of spiritual pressure enter Las Noches. There were seven of them, one being weaker than the rest, save for another which was on the verge of death. 'So they have finally arrived.'

He shunpoed back to Aizen's throne room but when he opened the door, his leader was already smiling. "I've felt them too. They have suceeded in finding her. Just in time too. Central 46 has given the order to Yamamoto to capture or kill Malik using whatever means necessary." He gave a chuckle, one whose meaning didn't go unnotice by Tosen and Gin.

Aizen _was_ Central 46. He had long ago killed them off and has been simply using Kyoka Suigetsu's influence over the Gotei 13 to fool them. Kyoka Suigetsu was perhaps one of the most terrifying zanpakutous the blind captain has ever known, regardless of his immunity to it since he was blind and wouldn't ever see it releasing.

"They should be here in a few minutes. I can hardly wait to the one who will gain us to a new allie."

"Sure, the kid's got skill, Aizen-sama, but what makes ya tink he will be worth all the effort to get'em?" Gin asked. He'd been meaning too lately but Aizen's been surprisingly more busy than he has before.

"When we saw him fight Kenpachi, he was not using his full power. Didn't you see all the damage to the park before we arrived? It looked like Stark had a turkey shoot with Cero Metralleta. I will be sure to find out just how strong he is when he gets here."

Though they could feel the spiritual pressure of a fraccion walking by outside, they paid no thought to whether or not they were overheard. Outside, Sun-Sun had incidentally overheard the conversation b/w the Shinigami captains and found herself very interested in it. 'Two more allies?'

"I can feel'em approaching. Time to put on our happy faces," Gin said. "Be sure to smile big and pretend to care," he added. Sun-Sun's eyebrows furrowed at the possible meaning of those words.

'Pretend to care?' As she was thinking, she felt the all-to familiar spiritual pressure of her mistress entering the fortress. 'That's Halibel-sama!' Excitedly, but still composed, she hurried off to fetch Apache and Mila-Rose. That Remarri fellow had walked them back to their rooms to make sure they weren't attacked along the way. Another Privaron, Mosinguelle, she believes his name was, came with, but only because he was hoping to meet with Halibel. Suspicions aside, she wasn't concerned much, although he was a very scary person.

Arriving through the hole where their door was before Apache blasted it with her second cero, she looked around for the duo. Not seeing them in the 'living room' of the palace or Apache's room, she went to Mila-Rose's room. The door was closed but she could hear voices on the otherside. Without knocking, she walked in, startling the two girls. They were sitting by each other on Mila's bed, which was a queen sized matress with green sheets. It was her favorite color, like Apache's was blue, and her own was a pink lavender.

The two calmed down when they saw their third member walk through. "My, I understand you're upset, Apache, but I didn't think you'd start swinging for the other team."

Instantly, the two were in Sun-Sun's face practically snarling. "WHAT'D YOU SAY?"

"I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you two's alone time, but I've got something to say?"

Apache, figuring it was just another smart remark couldn't have cared less. "I don't care, Sun-Sun. I'm not in the mood for your usual insults." She threw a glare at the girl when the reply was some giggling. "What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just going to tell you that Halibel-sama just entered the fortress and is on her way to Aizen's throne room, but..." that was as far as she got before both Apache and Mila-Rose shot out of the room nearly dragging Sun-Sun by her feet.

* * *

><p>Fran had never seen anything so huge in her entire life. Her gawking had started when she first saw the enormous dome of Las Noches.<p>

"Woah...that's Las Noches?" she asked. Neliel giggled at her stupified look.

"Yes. Aizen-sama built this. The inside has an artificial sun to give off light so we're not in the dark anymore."

Fran's jaw only dropped further. "Incredible. How is it I have never seen it before? I recognize these sands but I never saw that."

"Las Noches is cloaked, to prevent possible invaders from finding it easily," Ulquiorra answered monotonely. "When we meet him, be respectful. He has done much to warrant it."

"Right, got'cha," she said. She missed the lazy stare he sent her and continued eyeing every detail she could.

After they had entered, she let out a irritated hiss at the sudden illumination of everything. "You'll get use to it," Halibel comforted. "It took all of us a little while to adapt to it." Fran simply grumbled something about bright light and fake suns. As they were getting closer, Grimmjow had been looking at Fran's feet. As each one hit the ground, they never left a footprint. Finally, he just asked her what that was about.

"I'm sorry, but it's a secret that correlates to my abilities. To give away one secrets would invite death," she answered bluntly. He scoffed but couldn't help but smile. It was a no brainer this girl survived Hueco Mundo while constantly being hunted. She was a smart one, that's for sure.

When they had entered the fortress halls, they felt several spiritual pressures that they haven't met in two weeks. As luck would have it, Aizen, Gin, and Tosen were already in the throne room. "Looks like you won't have to wait to see him, Fran," Halibel said.

Fran searched out this Aizen and quivered when she finally found it. She had noticed several powerful signatures, including two very powerful ones. Lowering her senses, she noticed that the constant energy she was feeling all around her was just this Aizen's reiatsu. 'He is insanely powerful. Looks like they weren't exaggerating.

"Rudobon, have some of your men take Zommari to the hospital."

The Exequias captain wordlessly followed Halibel's command and summoned three soldiers who immediately relieved Neliel of her weight. She gave out a sigh as the dead weight was finally removed. No longer having to carry him, she resealed her zanpakutou. She had been struggling to keep her power to a minimal to avoid destroying Las Noches. Aizen'sama wouldn't like it if the fortress he built were destroyed so easily.

With Zommari taken care of, the six made their way through several halls. Fran couldn't help but attract a bunch of attention from all the humanoid hollows throughout the palace. Already, there were whispers of a new recruit going around. They were just about a hundred meters from the throne room when three young women appeared to the side and kneeled before them.

"Halibel-sama!" two of them exclaimed. The third acknowledged her mistress, but more on a conversational level. "We've missed you!" a blue haired girl said. The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"It's good to see you girls," the primera said. Fran watched the way she had looked at them. She had the voice of a mother towards them. "We've finally found who we were looking for."

The three girls turned their eyes onto her and gave her a couple of once-overs. "How far did you all have to go till you found her? You were gone for two weeks." The other two were eager to know about the mission, but they weren't prepared for what Halibel told them next.

"Actually, we found her on the first day. We gave chase till we caught up with her again. It was than she challenged us to catch her while inside a massive sandstorm. She continued to ellude us up till this day. Zommari was severely injured and is in the medical wing now, while Rudobon lost over 2000 soldiers."

If Fran had ever felt uncomfortable from someone staring, it was now. Apache and Mila-Rose were slack-jawed, staring at her while Sun-Sun had actually dropped her sleeve from her mouth. 'Just who the hell is this girl?' they all were wondering. "I will tell you the whole story after we meet with Aizen-sama," Halibel said. "If you want, you can wait outside the throne room. We won't be long."

The dumbfounded fraccion bowed their heads and followed them until the group entered the throne room where they waited just outside. In the massive room, Fran saw three men in white drapery standing in front of a large seat. One was a man with silver hair like hers. He had a white skin complexion and looked to be squinting. Then there was a black man with his hair tied in braids along his head. He was faced towards her, but his eyes had some kind of visor over it. The last one, Aizen from the feel of his massive spiritual pressure, actually looked the least intimidating. He had a serene smile with soft eyes. He had square glasses that were high up on his nose and brown hair.

The three seemed to have been waiting for them to arrive, so she figured they must've actually wanted her. When their group got near them, they all bowed on one knee. Fran caught the look from Ulquiorra and remembered him telling her to be respectful. Slowly, she lowered her head almost to the floor but never took her eyes off of the captains. Pleased with the respectful acknowledgement, Aizen nodded and they all rose to their feet.

He stepped towards Fran confidently. Any other hollow would've probably rolled over if they'd been brought forth infront of someone as powerful as Aizen but she didn't give an inch. Shocking most, she took a step towards him as well. Tosen had put a hand on his zanpakutou but stopped at the hand gesture Aizen gave him. Gin was actually looking with his eyes opened a little bit, showing his blue eyes. A hollow stepping forward towards him was a first for Aizen, but he wasn't concerned.

He studied the adjuchas carefully, matching some of the description Omaeda had given him perfectly with the few she had. There was also the mane of silver hair falling over to one side of her head. 'Yes, this is definately her.'

"Am I safe to assume you are called 'Fran'?"

Keeping her suspicions and surprise to herself, she nodded, causing him to smile slightly bigger. "I'm Sosuke Aizen. I'm the leader here and the one who built Las Noches. I had given Ulquiorra the assignment of finding you, but I'm shocked to see many of my higher ranked Espada here. Was this really all necessary, Ulquiorra?"

The pale Espada nodded. "Yes, Lord Aizen. She proved very difficult to catch. She issued a challenge to test our trust and determination. We had to simply tag her. We chased her inside of a sandstorm for two weeks before Halibel finally caught her."

Aizen's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, a show of vulnerability Halibel saw but kept quiet about. He looked over Fran again as if trying to discover something he might've missed. "I'm aware that Zommari was with you, Halibel-chan. Where is he?"

"Zommari was released but he was critically injured. Visibility was poor and Fran fooled Grimmjow into firing several darts and a cero, knocking Zommari unconscious," she responded. "I caught her just after that."

Aizen, Gin, and Tosen were impressed. A mere adjuchas menos taking on five Espada and the Captain of the Exequias? Astounding. He looked over at Rudobon and could see that he was stressed out. "What do you all think of her skills?"

Halibel answered on behalf of all of them. "Her speed is unmatched, even for Zommari and Neliel's released forms. She showed great intelligence by developing a series of patterns within a whole different pattern to evade us inside the storm. It took me two weeks to finally figure out where she would be next. She showed great skill in combat while battling Rudobon's Exequias. When asked how many she killed, she answered that she had devoured 623 of the 2134 Exequias she had killed. We all agree that she would make an excellent arrancar, Aizen-sama."

The three captains thought about asking Halibel to repeat that number for them. They thought she had said 2134. Fran was able to do this much?

"Wow, Aizen-taicho. Looks like Malik here had himself a fighter," Gin said.

Fran frozed and an electric tingle zapped through her spine and brain. That name sounded so familiar. Her inner-voice was repeating it out loud. It seemed familiar to her as well.

_"Malik!"_

She flinched as the scream tore through her head, causing her to hiss slightly in pain. It didn't go unnotice by all of arrancar and shinigami. Aizen's face showed some concern at the strange and random behavior. 'Perhaps his name awoke an old memory?' "Are you alright, Fran?"

She nodded obstinately. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. I just had a sudden headache." He seemed to have accepted the answer, having a good idea what the headache was about. Halibel and the others, however, were curious about who this Malik was. Was he an arrancar they knew? Was he another shinigami?

"Lord Aizen, if you don't mind me asking, but who is Malik?" Ulquiorra asked. Aizen had all of the arrancars' eyes and ears focused on him now. He sighed.

'Oh well, it was gonna be a surprise. Darn you, Gin, for ruining my fun.' "Malik is someone I have great interest in recruiting. He is a human with shinigami powers and has much talent."

Ulquiorra almost let a yell slip. Why on Earth would Aizen be interested in recruiting a mere human! That was completely obsurd. It made no sense. "I'm sorry, Aizen-sama, could you repeat that?" Halibel asked. She too, as well as the others, were sure they heard that wrong. 'Must've been my imagination.'

If he was annoyed by having to repeat himself, Aizen didn't show it. Instead, he explained what he knew of so far, minus Fran being his deceased girlfriend. "Malik is a human with shinigami powers. He nearly killed the 2nd Division captain, Soifon, and even fought the 11th Division captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, the physically strongest of the captains, head on and came out without a scratch."

They couldn't believe what Aizen was telling them. A human defeating a captain and fighting against Kenpachi Zaraki, who was considered unkillable due to his strength and blood lust? Madness! 'The whole universe is coming to an end!' Grimmjow thought.

"He hates Soul Society with a passion. They attacked him simply because he has spiritual powers. I will convince him that he can find shelter here with us. When the time for our war against Soul Society comes, he will be fighting alongside you and have his revenge against them. Am I clear?"

They all nodded, even Fran, who had no idea what the big deal was. When he was satisfied that they understood, he reached into his pocket and pulled out some pinkish-purple gem and held it to Fran's head. "This is the Hogyoku. It has the power to erase the line b/w hollows and shinigami. Before I begin, what would you like from me? It would be rude if I didn't ask."

'This question again? Oh well, I'm still not sure, but I believe this Malik has something to do with it. But, I can't tell them that, can I?' "I'm...still not sure. It's a person I know, but no picture or name comes to mind," she replied.

He got just the answer he was looking for, although not word for word. Holding the gem to her head, he started to pour his spiritual pressure inside of it.

"Try to resist as long as possible, Fran-chan." She nodded in understanding as small energy cords made their way out of the Hogyoku. The instant they came into contact with Fran, she immediately begin to quiver and tremble.

She felt a surge of power unlike anything she'd ever felt surge through her; so much that she wanted to just die to stop the pain. Remembering her mission of not dying yet, and Aizen's words repeating themselves in her head, she resisted the force for a good three minutes.

Her form became invisible behind a bright red light. Her spiritual pressure began to skyrocket, knocking Rudobon on his butt. Ulquiorra's eyes even widened in surprise. The large cat started shrinking until she became the size of a tall human.

Suddenly, the light became so bright that the Espada and captains, save for Aizen, had to close their eyes. Even though Tosen was blind, he acted on instinct and brought a hand up to cover his eyes. Gin found himself squinting even harder than before.

The red spiritual pressure began twisting like a miniature twister around her body for a minute before dying down. One last burst of reiatsu came forth, not affecting the Espada but gaining the attention of numerous arrancars, including Halibel's fraccion, Stark and Lilinette who were in their rooms, Neliel's fraccion, and Nnoitra and his fraccion. They all felt the rise of spiritual pressure since the transformation began and were wondering who the new arrancar was with the nice reiatsu.

When the light finally died down, everyone opened their eyes to a beautiful, exotic sight. On her knees was Fran, looking every bit as human as she did before, except that she was naked and her mask fragment covered the left half of her neck like reticulated plates and went up behind her ear. The Espada could only see the flawless, brazilian skin and a firm, rounded butt.

When she was bent over, they saw that she had a very athletic build. She had the legs of a sprinter and the arms of a female gymnast. Her long, white hair fell down her back. Her chest was perfected by single D-cup breasts that seemed to have a gravitational pull all on their own. Also, in her hand were two weapons with a design no one had ever seen before.

They looked like thin, fingerless gloves for where the hands went. There were straps that ran alongside some kind of forearm guard that connected a loop, probably an arm slot, to the gloves. Attached along the length was the forearm guard and going almost a foot past the points where the wrists and elbows were was a blade. It was shaped like a daito's end on each end, giving her the ability to perform combinations of slashes, stabs, reversed slashes & reversed stabs that would be extremely challenging and impractical for even an experienced sword fighter. But now that she had one for each arm, combined with her unrivaled speed, she would undoubtably become a devastating close-quarters combatant.

Thankfully, everyone was focused on her, because Aizen was desperately fighting a small blush creeping up. 'Great. The same thing happened with Neliel and Halibel. They're just lowly hollows; tools to be used till they are worn dull.'

When they were about to look at him again, Grimmjow saved the day by giving a low whistle, getting their attention. 'I never thought I'd be saying this, but thank kami for hormonal arrancars,' Aizen thought. No matter how he tried to reword that, he couldn't help but feel sick by that thought.

After slipping her arms through the loops and fitted her fingers into the gloves, she stood up, and unexpectedly, she was an inch or three taller than Aizen.

She was looking down on him! Oh, the irony!

While Aizen was having to put forth some effort into maintaining eye contact, Gin's eyes were slightly opened and enjoying the view. 'Sorry, Rangiku-chan. It's just a peep.'

Kaname wasn't aware of his two companions' issues, but he could make out a couple of details just by hearing. She was tall from the slight brushing of hair against skin that wasn't coming from below but rather above his ears. She was a natural killer. Her feet made no sounds, nor did her body, as her breathing was deep and calm and her heartbeat was agonizingly slow.

Looking within it, he lost his breath at the beauty of it. It was like a pure soul with certain animal instincts. So pure and so raw, he found himself speechless by it. 'What angel is this?' He cared not that she was a hollow, however contradictory it was, as he thought of her soul as angelic. The irony of it wasn't lost on him.

This girl's soul was similar to Halibel and Neliel's. The Primera and Quarto themselves were honorable and peaceful spirits, though they would fight to the bone when needed to. Even though the two had beauty, they refused to flont about it. They cared more for their fraccion than their own wellbeings. True selflessness.

This girl was beautiful as well, he was sure. Not going by what he saw of her soul, he reserved the honorable comparison to Halibel and Neliel till he had a better idea of how she acted.

"Aizen-sama, thank you for this. I hope to serve you well," she said curtly, slightly bowing her head.

Aizen, blush now gone, nodded and brought up the next issue. "Now that you have been arrancarized, the next issue is which Espada will you be a fraccion of."

Instantly, Grimmjow's hand went up. "I nominate myself!" Tosen scoffed while Halibel and Neliel rolled their eyes or sweatdropped. "I believe having some gender-diversity in my group would encourage better teamwork and interaction, thus improving the overall quality of the team."

When he finished, needless to say everyone's jaws were on the floor, save for Aizen and Gin, whose eyes were wide opened. Someone probably would've commented on it, but they were all focused on the Sexta, who had a cocky smile on his face. 'No way they'd turn me down.'

Aizen finally regained his normal face and adjusted his glasses a little bit. "My, Grimmjow, that is a very solid point you have there." None of them really knew what had just happened. Tosen had his Suzemushu drawn, convinced that the Espada was an impersonator.

"Grimmjow, do you have any idea what you just said?" Halibel asked, eyebrows already raised up.

"Nope," he admitted. "Not a damn clue, but it sounded convincing!"

Halibel, Aizen, Tosen, and even Ulquiorra all sweat-dropped. The rest, being Neliel, Rudobon, and Gin facevaulted. "So, do I get'er or what?"

Tosen intervened, mainly because he felt obligated to protect the soul that was Fran. "Aizen-sama, I would suggest otherwise. There was a situation before they arrived b/w the fraccion of Grimmjow, Baraggan, and Halibel."

That got the two mentioned Espada's attention. "What happened?" she more demanded than asked.

Tosen seemed frowned as he recalled the event. "Apparently, Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Baraggan's fraccion were socializing with each other, and one of the topics they talked about was which girl was 'hot' and who wasn't."

Instantly, several scenarios started running through the Primera's head, increasing her worry for her fraccion. When he continued, she wasn't getting any better news.

"They mentioned several females' names, however, they were especially brutal in their critique of Halibel's fraccion, Apache."

Halibel mentally groaned. 'Oh no, what happened now?'

"She overheard them talking about her in a derogatory manner, and I should stress the meaning 'derogatory', and she eventually attacked them."

Both Espada's eyes widen in slight surprise. 'What?'

"She had assaulted several of them, even decapitating two numeros' heads, before the rest of Halibel's fraccion, accompanied by two of Neliel tu Odelschwanck's, held her down." Neliel gasped at hearing her fraccion were involved as well. "However, a Privaron, a very large one though I didn't get a name, harmlessly knocked her out for her own safety. I believe with the current behavior of the male fraccion going on like this, sticking Fran with them would only bring about unnecessary problems."

Fran's eyes were narrowed at the enlightening of this event from earlier. These fraccion of the male Espada needed to be taught to respect females, regardless of strength or appearance. Aizen went over the details and came to a decision. "Very well. In light of this unfortunate incident, I find suitable reason to not allow your request, Grimmjow."

The espada male snarled, not at Aizen or Tosen, or even Halibel, but just everyone. His luck hasn't been the best lately, and this was just another reason why his one true love will always be fighting.

Halibel was worried about Apache, despite having been assured that she was knocked out with little force. Apache may be tough on the outside, but she was very self-conscious about her looks and the last thing she needed was to hear horrible things about her looks. And if Tosen wasn't exaggerating, than she wasn't doing well, despite having a smile on her face when she saw her awhile ago. Now that she remembered, Apache did seem really happy to see her.

'Oh no. Apache, just wait, dear.'

"Aizen-sama," Fran said, getting everyone's attention. "Due to these...developements..I would like to ask to be apart of Halibel's fraccion. The main reason being that I have great respect for Halibel-sama. She has shown great intelligence and skills by catching me, and seems to have a similar thought process as I do."

Halibel had no idea Fran thought all of those things about her. They hardly knew each other and didn't talk much on the way to Las Noches. Aizen considered her reasons and was alright with them. "Very well, if it's alright with Halibel, than you will become apart of her fraccion group. Is this okay, Halibel?"

"Absolutely," she answered immediately. "I will make sure she is well accommodated. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Fran wanted it. I simply saw reason in her suggestion," Aizen replied. "Now, please go find the newest member of our family some clothes to her liking. You are all dismissed."

"Yes, Aizen-sama," Halibel responded. Everyone bowed their heads and made their way out of the throne room.

When they got outside, there was all of the Espada and their fraccion, save for most of Syazel's, gathered along the halls to see who the new arrancar was. Much to the shock of many, they saw a tall, brown-skinned female with white hair walking alongside Halibel.

They weren't surprised to see her naked, as all usually were after transformation. She walked with a straight posture, leaning her upper body back slightly to make a small arch in her lower back, and she swayed her hips from side to side, all the while looking not one bit uncomfortable in the presence of so many arrancars, implying men.

The halls were quickly running red with blood from all of the noses and several males whistled as she passed by. All except three men, them being Syazel, who looked like he wanted to dissect her, Stark, who was the only one giving her a straight face, and Baraggan, who looked like her very presence just pissed him off.

"That new power came from that female? This must be a joke, Halibel?" Both Fran and Halibel shot a glare at the Tercera Espada. He was immune to the Primera's stare, but the one this new girl was giving him was even more terrifying. He thought he saw his own death being played out right in her crimson eyes. That look was one of a ruthless killer. He didn't say anything after that.

As they passed by them, Fran gave a low hiss of annoyance. "I can see where those fraccion probably got their attitude from, Halibel-sama."

The Primera sighed. "Unfortunately, almost all men here are like that. The only decent ones that I've observed are the Segunda Espada, Stark, Pesche and Dondachakka, two of Neliel's fraccion and also her long time friends, and Ulquiorra, along with his fraccion, Genesis. You can go ahead and give up any hope of change amongst the other ones."

The three girls from earlier, Apache, Mila, and Sun-Sun, popped up in front of them. They took a good look at Fran, gave a deep blush, and introduced themselves. The first one was the girl with beautiful, jade hair and a long, form-fitting coat on. She held one hand in front of her mouth while sticking out the other one. "I'm Sun-Sun. Are you going to be Halibel-sama's new fraccion?"

Fran nodded and smiled. She took the hand gently and shook it. "Yes, I am. My name is Fran." The girl bowed politely and the next girl to come up was the most similar to her. She wore little clothes, just a short skirt and a strapless top, but she had beautiful green eyes and long, wavy brown hair.

"Hey, there. The name's Mila-Rose. Nice to meet ya, Fran." Fran politely nodded at her and turned towards the last one. She had blue hair that was cut to her shoulders and had a horn curving upwards from her forehead. She was dressed more like a tough girl, hinting to her that she was probably the one that was picked on. Fran noticed the heterochromian eyes and found them quite beautiful.

"Am I right to assume that you are Apache than?" The surprised look on the girl's face was ignored as Fran stepped towards her. She got insanely close as her chest was almost laying on top of Apache's own due to the height difference. The shorter girl's blush darkened ten fold but she didn't move away.

Fran smiled and leaned in close while wrapping her in a hug. "Don't worry about what those men say. You are very beautiful." Apache must've decided to imitate a goldfish, cuz her mouth was opening and closing without saying anything. The other fraccion were thinking what Apache was.

'How did she know?' Fran ignored the gaping and planted a soft kiss on the stunned tom-boy's cheek, effectively inventing a new shade of red on Apache's face. Fran made no more approaches after that as she broke apart, leaving the brain-fried arrancar to her own self.

Halibel saw this, and though she was surprised by the forwardness of it, she thought it was a very kind action. She felt like she knew what Fran was talking about when she said that she and herself had similar thoughts patterns. Yes, they were alike. Already, Fran was looking out for her teammates.

As they begin walking to where the uniforms for new arrancar were kept, Halibel smiled from behind her collar. Having Fran in her fraccion couldn't be anything less than helpful.

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><p><strong>AN:** And that is end of chapter! Wow, got 21,138 words! That's almost twice as long as my previous longest chapter. And in record time, too! I don't know what got into me. My fingers were possessed!

Now, I'm sure some are gonna wonder why I was mean to Apache. Don't get me wrong now, I love Apache. She is one of my favorite arrancars. And I don't get why most people write that her boobs are really flat. They're not. Go to the episode where the Espada and fraccion just got out of the garganta. When it's showing them just staring at each other, it shows a sideview of Apache and Sun-Sun, and you know what? Apache is equipped with freakin' ballistics, man! They looked atleast Cs or Ds.

Well, I obviously knowingly decided to not make her that endowed, though her resurreccion is a different story. If she seemed OOC, than I honestly don't see it, so I wouldn't know what to tell you there. Trust me though, I have a purpose for being ridiculed and me making it a relevent event.

Also, on other events: Soifon swears to kill the bastard. Aizen, under the disguise as Central 46, orders, through manipulation of Kyoka Suigetsu, that Malik be hunted down. Must be so he can find the boy now that he has the perfect bait. But what about Yoruichi? Will Malik just leave her behind? Also, who thought Grimmjow saying something smart was OOC on steroids, though he didn't really know what he was saying?

I got inspiration writing this chapter from Bleach opening theme-Change, Bleach-treachery(remix version, just look it up on Loudtronix), and Brilliant Green-Ash like Snow.

Alrighty, here are the results so far for lemons:

MalikxYoruichi-5

MalikxHalibel-5

HalibelxYoruichi-3

MalikxNeliel-3

MalikxFran-4

If I don't put up the rest that were mentioned last chapter, it's because they haven't received any more votes since. If you've got a request, let me hear it. It only takes thirty seconds to press the review button below and tell me your thoughts. PLEASE REVIEW. I BROKE MY FINGERS OVER THIS CHAPTER. I'm sorry if the MalikxYoruichi lemon wasn't in this chapter. It just would've been too soon, BUT...I swear on my honor and manhood that I WILL DELIVER MALIKxYORUICHI LOVE SCENE NEXT CHAPTER!


	14. LEMON!

**A/N:** Greetings my fellow viewers. NEW LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! It's exactly 25,068 words! First off, I'm happy that I'd gotten six reviews for my last chapter. That's a record for this story. Let's try to do better this time! Please!

Now as a gift, I'm back with a special announcement. This update, I could've done as two different chapters, but I also had to squeeze another chapter's worth in between the two to briefly explained Malik's new look. This is the chapter that the majority of the minority of the 3 out of 10 people that view this story have been waiting for. :D **YORUICHIxMALIK LEMON SCENE. **It's been thirteen chapters and Malik has been through so much crap, it looks like he just crawled out of a sewer. Finally, he gets a break. Also, there will be small yuri content in here. Nothing explicit, more like a simple kiss to set into motion feelings, attitudes, and events later in the story.

Now when this lemon happens, I'll let you try to figure out whether this makes them began to fall in love or not. I won't tell you anything. I hope this meets everyone's expectations. As a gift, I would love, really love, but won't be bothered if I don't get, 50 reviews. I know that might be asking alot, but hey, an author that takes his time during college mid-terms to write this stuff can only wish for so much, ya know.

Warning: This chapter is rated **M** and should only be read by mature audiences. It contains nudity, some sexual situations, violence, nuetering, small F/F scene, adult content, and some coarse language, all in no specific order. Parental discression is advised.

I don't own Bleach, but I do own Malik, Fran, Mosinguelle, and Remarri. :P

P.S. Be sure to tell me which title is better! I couldn't make up my mind, so I put both thoughts up there.

* * *

><p><strong>The Cheetah and the Lemon <strong>

**or**

**Rise of the Lemons**

(Las Noches)

Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun were waiting patiently for their newest fraccion to come out of the supply room. The three girls were sitting against the wall while Halibel had went off somewhere. Before leaving, she had gave them specific orders to not leave Fran and keep anybody from going in there. They knew the reason behind it. There would no doubt be some guy who thought he was sneaky enough to try to take a peak at their naked friend, or worse.

"Man, she is taking forever," Mila complained after fifteen minutes. Sun-Sun rolled her eyes at the whining.

"Well, Mila-Rose, not all of us just went in there and found the skankiest outfit in all of Las Noches," she quipped. Mila-Rose jumped to her feet, grabbing Sun-Sun by the chest portion of her jacket and getting right in her face.

"What'd you say?" A tick-mark was growing fast on her forehead. Sun-Sun was in a brief moment of awe as she could only stare at it like a bystander does for an explosion. She quickly got her self back and answered Mila's question. It was only polite to answer a question directed at you.

"You. Dress. Like. An. Ape. Mon-Key. Whore," she said, enunciating each syllable like she thought the girl was slow.

"You bitch!" "Shut-up, already!" Apache yelled. The two girls' attention jerked over to their friend who had been unnaturally quiet since the incident. "Can't you two shut up?"

Sun-Sun and Mila-Rose eyed their supposed friend with disbelief. Apache stopping them from arguing? "Who are you?" Sun-Sun asked, suspicion running thick on her tongue. Apache glanced over at the duo with a stressed out look.

"What kind of dumb question is that, Sun-Sun?"

Instantly, Apache was in a head-lock by Mila. Her head turned red and steam shot out of her eyes and nose and her pupils became little swirly lines, the tale-tale signs that she was pissed. "Mila-Rose, you bitch! What the hell?"

Mila's frown almost turned to a grin when the old Apache came back out. "What gives, Apache? You're never the one to stop a fight. Explain yourself!"

Apache started growling in anger now. "I don't have to explain shit, Mila! Let me go!" She threw an elbow up into the larger girl's stomach, weakening the hold on her neck. Using the little lea-way, she pulled her head out and slung the amazonian over her body by the arm. Sun-Sun watched as that weird Apache disappeared and their old one was back and doing its usual stunts.

* * *

><p>The new arrancar had been, like every other girl when made, kinda picky when it came to what she wanted to wear. She would look at an outfit and decide whether or not it suited her in just a second. Picking up a outfit similar to the ones that the YingYang twins wore, she looked it over for a couple of seconds. It was a standard white version of a skimpy schoolgirl uniform. It had a short sleeved top and a skirt that would only go to her mid-thighs with her height.

"bahh.." she hung it back up in its original place and started shifting through entire hangar racks. She came across an outfit that was similar to Apache's. It consisted of regular pants with a shirt with long sleeves. 'Hmm, Apache must just roll them up whenever she puts it on,' she thought when she noticed the difference. It would show some of her cleavage and although she didn't want to be thought of as easy or something, she thought it was too much clothing.

Her thoughts went back to the girl. When she first locked eyes, she could still see the extra moisture in Apache's eyes from when she had apparently cried earlier. When she looked at the girl, the only thing that really stuck out was the horn. Besides that, one could easily tell she was a girl. She had gorgeous blue hair, a small little nose centered perfectly on her face, a small, but lifted, rear that was obviously the result of being athletic, and average sized breasts.

Fran couldn't tell the size by cups, since she had absolutely no knowledge in that department. Bras were foreign to her and to be honest, she didn't see the reason why any girl would wear them. Just by looking at her new mistress and teammate, she could tell Halibel-sama and Mila-chan didn't wear them. She couldn't tell if Apache or Sun-Sun wore them. But back to the originally topic that she amusingly found that she had veered from, there was no reason to make fun of Apache about her looks. She had yet to see her attitude towards others, so she would reserve judgement till than.

She set the uniform back in its place and continued looking. She found a dress that was like Sun-Sun's and now Fran found herself thinking over the Asian woman. She seemed to be the most mannered of the trio, and held herself with an air of propriety. She was probably the strategic thinker of the three as well, letting the other two be the brawlers.

Than the tall, exotic girl came across a top that was modeled like her mistress' very own. Just holding it up in front of her, she couldn't help but blush as she pictured Halibel's body in it. The woman had a very voluptuous body, always stealing everyone's attention wherever she went, something that she herself had witnessed so far from just their walk from the throne room. She already had a pretty good idea about what her new master was like. She knew Halibel was strong, seeing as to how she'd been referred to as the _Primera,_ which means that besides Aizen-sama, she was the strongest. She was very smart too, having figured out her strategy that would've had the others in a loop for several more weeks.

Fran kinda liked the top, but the collar and sleeves would have to go, but there weren't any tailor shops around here that she saw. 'Perhaps-' *knock-knock*. Someone was knocking on the door. 'Sheeze, sorry if I'm taking too long.'

She walked over to the door and opened it completely, not caring about whatever reactions or expressions that would be on the girls' faces whom she thought she was going to see. Instead, it was Halibel with three arrancars, one being a strange looking male. In the background were Apache and Mila-Rose who had their faces in separate corners for some reason while Sun-Sun was giggling at them.

Noticing Fran raising her eyebrow when she saw the three in front of her, Halibel answered her unasked question. "I figured you would like some help. These arrancars have shown considerable knowledge with selecting and designing outfits." Fran's brows arose even more. Just what she needed! "The girls here are Lyona and Kiko. The male here (Fran questioned the validity of that statement) is Charlotte. Though he is one of Baraggan's fraccion, you have no need to worry about lustful eyes or unwanted advances."

Fran bowed her head politely. "Thank you, Halibel-sama. I was just wondering if there was someone who could help me." She looked at the three who had been brought.

Lyona was a tall arrancar girl, about 5'10, with a light complexion and yellow, shoulder-length hair. Her mask fragment was a pair of earrings that looked like several loops interconnect to each other. Beside her was Kiko, a small, petite girl with brown hair that was fixed into a bun. She had a slightly tanner skin-tone than Lyona, but still a far cry from Fran's own. She couldn't see the smaller girl's mask fragment, but really didn't care much.

Now the last person, Charlotte, really threw her for a loop. He was a fairly toned male as his abs were clearly visible, but that was the only manly thing about him. Thick eyelashes, shiny, plump lips, a top and a skirt on, and long, wavy brown hair that'd put Fabio to shame. She bet if she looked in the dictionary for 'gay', she'd see a picture of Steven Pratt. But if she looked real closely, she'd see Steven Pratt holding a picture of Charlotte.

Fran was a girl whose animal instincts dominated some of her thoughts and actions and right now, hers was telling her to either punch him in the face and/or disappear. And much to her unfortunate luck, _it_ had to _skip_ over to her.

His eyes were sparkling with creepy, bright-colored stars coming from them as he circled her like a buzzard over a carcass, eyeing her entire body. Reigning in her impulse to bolt out of the room, she balanced out the uneasiness by obediently standing still, crossing her arms underneath her bosom, leaning heavily on one foot, and watching him like she was ready to cut his throat out. She had to appease her instincts some how, right?

She got somewhat of the desired effect when it wasn't Charlotte who was shaking nervously, but Lyona and Kiko. 'Crap.'

"MY, OH MY! Aren't you just a beautiful creature!" Fran's eyebrow twitched at his voice. It sounded like he was trying to talk to her like a baby. The other two girls began taking notes of whatever they found interesting or seemed to stick out. "My dear Fran, you have a fantastic body. You would be committing murder if you didn't show some skin. After I'm done with you, no one will be able to take their eyes off of you. And if anyone says anything bad, I'll spank them and wash their mouths out with Jagermeister."

Fran was speechless, but from being creep-ed out, confused, and clueless. 'Did he just say he'd spank them? What the heck is Jagermeister?'

Reaching behind him and pulling out a measuring tape, 'wait..where did that come from?' she shuddered when one particular answer was among her thoughts, and started getting measurements on different parts of her body. Her arms' length, legs' length, shoulder width, measurements around her rear and chests, both times she miraculously refrained herself from pummeling the crap out of him, waist size, and torso height.

Fran had to give the creepy guy credit. He was very professional even though she was naked. When his apparent assistants finished writing all of the numbers down, he took a step back and placed a finger on his chin in thought. "Dear Fran, what kind of requests do you have? We can use those to sketch an idea and, if need be, design your outfit."

"Well," she started, "I don't want clothes that are too revealing, yet I wouldn't mind something that shows plenty of skin and allows for much freedom of movement." The three fashion experts couldn't help but giggle at the saying. "No footwear! I see everyone else wearing those boots and it just doesn't look comfortable. I sorta liked the top that Halibel-sama wears, but without the collar and sleeves, and the zipper. I'm not sure if I want a cut in it or not."

"You definitely have got to have some chest showing, girl, cuz you're just too pretty to cover it," he declared. "Who do you think convinced Halibel to wear hers like she does?"

Fran didn't know what he was talking about at first. Thinking back to her mistress, she was curious as to who on earth convinced the Primera to wear her top with it only covering the upper half of her breasts. But, if what she just heard was right, than the reason was this thing in front of her. "Yes, that work of art was my doing. Believe it or not, Halibel had wanted something very similar," he said.

He didn't give her much time to think that over as he started talking again about most stuff she knew nothing about. This went on for about ten more minutes before he finally stopped talking what was gibberish to her and finally said some good news. "Now, I'm almost done," he assured.

He went back to drawing something on a notebook frantically while seemingly being able to maintain control of the pencil with much ease. "In fact, I think I've got just the thing for you, darling. Revealing, yet covers enough. It says 'I'm hot but I can burn your ass', but also says simple and elegant. Something that says, 'While you're busy staring at my ass, I'm busy kicking yours.' And most importantly, the white contrast will bring that beautiful skin color of yours out. You'll probably have _me_ drooling by the time we're done with you."

While he was finishing up the sketch, Fran, while disturbed by that last bit of information, came around and looked over his shoulder at his pad curiously. Her eyes slowly began to widen as she took in the new look, and she couldn't help but give a toothy smile. 'The guy might be creepy, but he knows how to design.' Happily, she patted him on the shoulder.

**'Impressive,'** her inner-voice said. Fran agreed.

"It's perfect," she declared, much to his delight.

* * *

><p>Sun-Sun had watched the two get back to their old routine, but the fun was short-lived when Halibel-sama had came back with Charlotte, Lyona, and Kiko, the three best wardrobe experts in all of Hueco Mundo. Telling them to wait by the door, Halibel grabbed Mila-Rose and Apache by their ears and led each of them to a different corner in the wall, all the while scolding them about not getting along and the importance of friendship.<p>

Seeing them literally stick their noses in the corner caused the normally calm Sun-Sun to start bursting into giggles. Ignoring the uncommon action, the two were about to jump her but Halibel made a 'unh-unh-unh' with her finger. Reluctantly they returned their noses to their respective corners out of fear and loyalty for their mistress.

"You can turn around whenever Fran comes out, Apache and Mila-Rose. Till than, I'd better not hear anything coming from you but the sound of your breathing."

"Hai, Halibel-sama," the punished girls replied in unison, further more to Sun-Sun's amusement.

For the most part, their arguing didn't make Halibel mad, but one) it never stopped, and two) she had given the three a simple duty while she was gone, and they'd succeeded, but were fighting. She pinched her nose in more of a sense of tiredness than aggravation She had been out for two weeks straight without any sleep. Having not to constantly watch her back like she did as a Vasto Lorde, she'd grown accustomed to getting rest every other night or so. Her most recent mission gave her a big wake-up call, as well as a few yawns. Plus, she wanted to shower. She had sand in places that've never seen daylight.

They waited for another hour, occasionally listening in on Charlotte talking about this and that, asking questions about Fran and the like. Finally, they heard the feminine man clap his hands in applause. "It's finished!" they heard him yell from the room.

* * *

><p>Fran did her usual 'lean to one side, arms crossed over and under chest' pose. It was stance that she just liked. "Well, how does it look?" Personally, she loved the outfit but it wouldn't hurt to have someone else's opinion. Glittering waterfalls were coming out of the man's eyes as he looked like he was fixing to die from happiness, a scene she would've found amusing if it was anybody besides him.<p>

"My dear Fran...You have got to be the most radiant being in all of Hueco Mundo!" he yelled, waterfall tears pouring out of his tear ducts and random roses popping up around him. "Who needs the fake sun that Aizen made us when we can just tape you up there to the ceiling?" he exclaimed. She was a little embarrassed from the enormous compliment.

She lowered her face to hide it, prompting that usual bang of white hair to fall over her right eye like when she was a human. She didn't think it was much, but than Charlotte, Lyona, and Kiku all had to make her embarrassment worse by gasping when she looked up, her right eye now covered.

"Great Scott..."

"I know.."

"Fran," Kiko started, but didn't know how to say it. Thankfully, after stumbling over her own words several times, Lyona swept in to save the day.

"Fran, honey, you just changed from a beautiful warrior to an innocent angel in a second." Fran didn't know how to respond to that claim. It sounded absurd, making no sense at all.

"What do you mean?" she asked, utterly confused. Lyona walked over and held up the piece of hair that fell over her eye and held it with the others.

"With that hair in place with the rest, you looked intimidating, but..." she dropped it back down over Fran's eye, "with it like this, you look so shy and innocent."

"Especially when you look embarrassed like that," Charlotte added. "I was right. If it wasn't for that small hollow hole the size of a quarter being right above your belly-button, I would never have believed you to be a hollow. I could just eat you up right now."

That caused her to take a cautious step back. She'd only been an arrancar for a little over an hour, so she wasn't aware that arrancars could live off just the reishi from Hueco Mundo's atmosphere. She was taking the meaning of Charlotte's words quite literally. The three saw this and realized the fella's mistake. Kiko came and put a comforting hand on Fran's shoulder.

"Don't worry. He didn't mean that literally. When a hollow becomes an arrancar, they don't have to eat other hollows or souls anymore." Fran's mouth dropped. She didn't have to eat anymore? Was this girl serious? 'So Aizen-sama gave me more than just a human body and power; he ended my hunger too!'

**'I have noticed, but haven't had the chance to tell you, Fran**.' She gave a wide grin, forgiving her inside helper this time, just enjoying the elation of being free from the constant hunger and swarming mass of souls inside of her. Atleast she found this out before making a fool of herself later on.

"Thank you very much, Charlotte, Lyona, and Kiko. I would like to let the rest outside to see, if that's alright?"

"Oh, of course," Lyona said, heading towards the door. "You're going to give Halibel a run for her money," she said, which Fran laughed at.

"Not likely, Lyona. But thank you." The smaller girl just smiled and went out of the door.

On the other side, everyone's eyes were on Lyona, who'd just called their attention like she had some sort of announcement. "Halibel-sama, first I would like to say it was a great joy working with this one. It didn't take long coming up with a design and I'm going to warn you. Fran is something else," she said proudly.

The four waited expectantly as Lyona built up the tension.

"Kami, you'd think she was about to give out a giant reward or news or something?" Apache muttered impatiently. She got a quick scowl from Lyona who grabbed the door handle.

"Introducing for the very first time.." she paused for a second. "-in clothes," she added, "Fran!"

The door opened and Fran walked out, who was greeted with a few gasp and than silence. Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose, Apache, and even Halibel's eyes had all widened considerably, while the first three's jaws were slacked open and had deep blushes. The tall, golden-brown skinned arrancar stood before them, a bit uneasy at their silence, but confident none the less like she was earlier.

First off, she didn't even have pants, or an entire skirt. She had a loincloth hanging from the lowest portion of her hips, coming down almost to her knees, showing some of her navel region. She had a half skirt that went from her left hip, around the back, and ended at her right hip, and fell loosely behind down to her upper-thighs. The bleach white fabrics were almost transparent enough to see through, but she had a pair of white panties underneath to obscure any hope of getting a gratuitous beaver shot.

Completely ignoring her toned mid-drift, the only other major piece of clothing was a top that was like Mila's, except with just less fabric underneath her single D cup breasts. The natural color of her skin made the bleached clothes and her just as white hair glow from the contrast like a fluorescent light bulb in the dark.

Besides the clothes, the only thing she wore were her zanpakutous, which were strapped to her forearms and her hands. Normally the blades' lengths would've been too long and would make ordinary things like picking stuff up impractical, but with a quick talk with her inner-voice, the nearly three-foot blades shrunk to six inches for convenience. If need be, she could just extend them to their original lengths and defend herself or attack with just the thought.

"Holy shit," Mila muttered. It was just understandable to those present. Though it didn't call for coarse language, nobody denied that Fran was stunning.

Apache was shocked by how well Fran looked in her clothes. Not more than an hour ago, this same girl had embraced her and kissed her on the cheek and gave her words of encouragement. She couldn't imagine Fran doing that again, much less even considering her good enough to talk too. How could someone with those looks not be corrupted by them? Halibel and Neliel seemed to be the only exceptions.

Sun-Sun's mouth was open, but thankfully, unlike Apache and Mila-Rose, she had a sleeve covering it, so she atleast appeared to be acting sensible. "Mila-Rose, that isn't very polite," she said. Though she admonished her friend, she herself wasn't even confident in her own words. 'She is quite beautiful.'

Mila-Rose was expecting Fran to come out wearing something that would accentuate her body, but this was nothing like she had imagined. Heck, she was almost wearing less clothes than her! Or even Halibel for that matter! About the only one who had less clothes was Lilinette, but she was too young to even know about that stuff, and Stark sure wasn't gonna try to explain that to her anytime in the foreseeable future. Mila knew Fran had some curves, but those clothes just brought them out even more. 'Damn.'

Halibel was probably the most composed of them all...on the outside atleast. Inside, a fire was lit. What the fire entailed was yet to be discovered, but Halibel could only admire her new student's appearance. 'Beautiful. To think she is as wise and composed as she is, though I think she's trying to outdo me,' she thought humorously.

After about five more minutes of just staring, Fran was getting a little bored. 'Wonder what there is to do in this place? Anything besides staring at the new girl. They didn't stare this hard when I was naked. Weird.' "So, Halibel-sama, Charlotte said it would take them a day to make spare uniforms, but I'm free to go. What do we do now?"

Her talking had broken them out of their trance, reminding the girls that their mouths had been gaping, which caused them to feel embarrassed. Well, Halibel could look embarrassed, cause no one could see her, unless Fran came up to her, than the girl could just look down her collar. Said woman blinked a couple of times and nodded.

"Unfortunately, the time when our purpose will come is still many years from now. Till than, we normally train and do whatever we please, as long as we follow the rules set in Las Noches."

"Rules?" Fran repeated questioningly. Halibel found herself liking the way the girl's eyebrow would raise like that.

"Yes. There are several rules to keep the order in Las Noches. One of the most important is that no Espada ranked four or lower are to release inside the dome, or the power surge would destroy the entire fortress."

Fran blinked several in astonishment. 'Just releasing would destroy the whole fortress? And Halibel-sama is the _Primera_, the strongest. She could destroy this place just by releasing?' Something seemed off about her own thoughts. "What's releasing?"

Halibel looked like she was expecting this question and was prepared to answer it. "When we release, it is called our 'resurreccion'. It is when we say the release command, than the name, of our zanpakutou to unleash our full power. Normally, our strength, or speed increases and sometimes gain special abilities. Also, releasing will heal any minor to major wounds that you may've sustained in combat. Used wisely and you could turn the tide of a battle."

Fran nodded in understanding and looked at her own zanpakutous with curiosity. "I wonder what my resurreccion looks like. However, I don't even know its name. How do I figure it out?"

"You just have to focus and looked within yourself. It will come to you naturally," Halibel said reassuringly. She and the others were quite interested in seeing Fran's resurreccion. She could expect the girl to be mainly oriented around speed. Halibel had little doubt that even in her current form, Fran was the fastest of all the arrancar, possibly even Gin, Tosen, and Aizen. "Just try. It usually takes a few moments."

Fran nodded and closed her eyes and relaxed. Taking a deep breath, she calmed all of her senses and felt a strange presence inside of her body growing up to massive proportions. 'Is that you? The one who's been helping me all this time?' she asked.

There was some low rumbling noises, than silence. A couple of seconds later, a soft, feminine voice broke the silence. **'Yes, Fran-chan. It is me. I must say, I'm proud of how well you've done so far. And now it looks like you'll be able to finally use your full hollow powers**.' Fran felt giddy at the thought, of what it must feel like to release.** (God, that sounded so dirty. I meant no pun, everyone.)** 'I'm very excited. But, I need to know your name and the command for it. Could you tell me?'

The spirit seemed to be nodding in agreement. **'Yes, I will tell you. These powers are yours by birth, so it is not up to me to stop you. If you want to use your resurreccion, strike me into the ground, than simply say, _'Hunt down everything, Fuerte Reina Cheetah_ (Mighty Cheetah Queen), and you will gain a power you've never experienced before.'**

Fran was literally shaking with excitement. 'Thank you, _Reina Cheetah_! I will exceed your expectations.' The spirit chuckled in amusement to her master's enthusiasm. **'I won't be surprised, darling. Before you go, I will warn you. It is very tiring and will take some time to master it. Do not let any shortcomings bring you down. Now go**.' Fran happily shook her head. 'Yes. Thank you.'

The world went white and Fran opened her eyes to see the expecting faces of her new group. "I know my resurreccion's release command and name. Can we go try it out, Halibel-sama?"

"Yes, that would be wise," she replied. "The sooner you practice your resurreccion, the sooner you'll master it. Come. Follow us to the training halls." She started off in sonido towards the training hall with her fraccion close behind. Though she was beat-dead tired, Halibel's desire to see what her new fraccion was capable of as an arrancar prevailed. Along the way, the three girls were asking Fran questions about her time as an adjuchas, which they couldn't believe when she'd told them that she was born straight into one.

It was just a minute later that they arrived in the entrance of the massive training hall. Fran's instinctive habits from her time as an adjuchas kicked in and she started memorizing the entire room, its corners, its length, width, and height, and most importantly, how many other arrancars were present.

There were about twenty currently training. Grimmjow's fraccion were duking it out with each other in the far North-East corner. They had yet to notice the new arrivals. Grimmjow was also there, keeping them pretty busy. He didn't want to let anyone think he was weak after being exhausted from the two-week mission. In the East corner, Lilinette was training with the Ying/Yang twins and Pesche and Dondochakka. Well, if one could call it that. Lilinette would swing her grossly curved scimitar wildly and than get lightly smacked by one of the guys who'd tell her what she did wrong. She'd then get angry and kicked them in their groins.

Fran winced slightly from that. She didn't know why it hurt the males when they were kicked there, but the high-pitch squeal and strained look on their faces suggested that it was their weak spot. She made a mental note for that in case she ever came across a male opponent who was getting the better of her.

The rest were the average, unimportant arrancar, except for Remarri and Genesis, the latter, with permission from his master, accepted a sparring session request from the hulk-sized former Marine. Fran could feel the explosions of spiritual pressure from each attack. The smaller red-head moved via sonido swiftly to dodge the large man's surprising speed. He was almost the same size as Yammy but as fast as Grimmjow unreleased.

A mini-sonic boom would follow after each of Remarri's sonido, and you'd hear it only after he reappeared. Genesis found this out when Remarri disappeared from his sight. The next thing he knew was the titan's shoulder smashing his face inward, sending him flying at high speed into the wall and embedding him a good ten feet into the supposedly strong wall.

There were six more arrancars fighting against one man who seemed to be teaching them. His noticeable features were his broad sword that he was using to effortlessly parry the oncoming attacks, his mask fragment that resembled some kind of helmet that covered a head of brown hair, and his speed. He saw them first and paused the session and made his way over to them.

Fran eyed him carefully, not sure if he could be trusted like the ones Halibel mentioned. When he got close enough, he bowed respectively to the Primera, even acknowledging her as so. "Primera-sama, how are you this day?"

The woman returned the polite gesture with a tilt of her head. "I'm well, Skullak-san. I've come here to see the resurreccion of my newest fraccion, Fran." She gestured at said girl, who was still cautiously eyeing the man in front of her like a predator. Whether her gaze made him uncomfortable or not, he didn't show, though he smiled and held out a hand to shake.

"That's the leader of the Privaron Espada, Skullak. He was a naturally made arrancar and the Primera before the current Espada's ascension, but than Aizen replaced him as us newer, stronger Espada arrived. You don't have to worry about anything from him either. He takes great delight in training the fraccion and arrancars, and he is also in a relationship with another of the Privaron," Halibel explained.

Fran slowly took his hand and shook it. He smiled and withdrew. "Halibel, I'm curious as well. However, if she's uncomfortable with new people, then I'll just watch from the side to give her plenty of space."

"Thank you. Your kindness is appreciated," Fran said, and gave a slight nod of her head. He greeted the other girls, who returned his gestures, and returned back to the group he had left; the same group who now had caught sight of Fran and were eyeing her like a piece of candy.

Fran watched and studied each of the arrancars and their movements, her mind quickly memorizing all of the new information it was receiving from its eyes and ears. She was very thankful for keeping this habit after her transformation. She figured she'd also have to be thankful that it was the predator that her form was that allowed for these heightened senses. Just by watching, she could tell most, if not all, relied primarily on their eyes to fight. If her resurreccion was anything like she was hoping it'd be, she would be able to rely on all of her senses evenly.

Her group wasn't noticed by the others till they reached their own vacant corner in the western part. Everybody had stopped fighting and was now eyeing the new girl. As she walked, she ignored the eyes that could've been mistaken for headlights and the drooling, gaping mouths. 'They act like they've never seen a girl before,' she thought. The only decent ones seemed to be the Privaron Espada and the fraccion that was just now peeling himself out of the wall.

She impressively ignored them all and took her spot in front of her mistress who, for the most part, hadn't taken her eyes off of her yet. She figured that Halibel was very eager to see her resurreccion. When Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun, and Apache gave her enough berth, she extended her blades to their 3 ft lengths and fell to a knee, stabbing the swords into the ground.

"_Hunt down everything, Fuerte Reina Cheetah _(Mighty Cheetah Queen)."

Her reiatsu exploded around her, increasing higher and higher at a rapid pace. Red and yellow bolts of reiatsu manifested and struck down one or two at a time around her, causing the fraccion to jerk back from being startled if they weren't already shaking from the strength.

Her spiritual pressure kept increasing to where it was almost an Espada's level, something the occupants of Las Noches took notice of, till it finally peaked. The floor began cracking as the ground underneath her began to crater. Than, as soon as it had, it vanished. No one could sense her spiritual pressure, and for some, they thought she had somehow screwed up her resurreccion. Any arrancars who had been pushed down shakily got back to their feet. By taking one look at her, they could tell Fran was different.

She rose from her knees, pulling her zanpakutous from the ground, she revealed that instead of one blade on each forearm guard, there were now two, which glowed bright yellow, like light-sabers, but the shapes were still there. Her clothes didn't change much, save for the colors. Along her now white-grayish clothes, she had some black dots or splotches scattered across them. Her naturally tan skin now had several dozens of very dark brown stripes along her body, like a tiger's, but not as contrasting.

Her muscles looked a little more defined, but not freakishly like a man's or something. Her hair length, color, and style changed as well. It went from being long to just shoulder length, as well as from straight along her back to the entire left half of her hair being in braids like Kaname Tosen's while the other half seemed to roll over the side, save for one bang that came a little in front of her right eye. The once bleach white mane changed to a raven black. The new hair gave her a punk rocker look that only attributed to the aura of her bad-assery that she gave off. Her eyes, once crimson red, were now piercing yellows that glowed like the high-beams of a vehicle at night-time.

"Whoa," Apache breathed. "She looks like a total bad-ass."

Mila-Rose and Sun-Sun would've made a comment about that, but why make fun of something that was true. Halibel looked at her once innocent looking fraccion to see this new 'bad girl' who was just emitting killer intent and deadly hunter off of her like it was a second scent or pheromone that poured from her pores. She now had the full attention of everyone there. All were looking at her, expecting something flashy or powerful.

"Damn, that's a fine bitch!"

Or a remark from the biggest pervert/sadist Hueco Mundo has ever seen.

Fran blinked slowly a few times, showing everyone now that they looked ready to drink someone's blood. She sent a glare at the person with a death wish. It was someone she hadn't seen before. When Halibel turned to see who had said that comment, she wasn't surprised by who it was.

'What horrible timing.'

The culprit was a very tall, lanky, white guy with bandages wrapped around one eye, and he had the most ridiculously shaped hood and large baggy pants that'd put MC Hammer to shame. To some amusement, Fran thought his hood looked like a giant spoon or some kind of penis head. Her harasser was smiling without a care in the world. 'Might as well get the message across now,' she decided.

Halibel had an idea of what her newest fraccion was contemplating, but needed to warn her about the Septima Espada. "Fran, that's Nnoitra. Just try to ignore him." She thought she was seeing things when Fran was already standing in front of the pervert. She jerked her head back to where she'd last seen the girl standing but saw only the vacant space beside her.

'When did she get there?'

Obviously, nobody knew what was going on as the new hottie appeared literally out of nowhere and was holding the two of her extended zanpakutous on her right arm right against Nnoitra's nuts. Said Espada, though he had never took his eyes off of her in the first place, didn't know when he had lost sight of her, but he felt the tips of something sharp against his most precious possessions. Imagine his shock when he looked down to see the girl ready to impale them with two sickly looking forearm-mounted blades. His one good eye narrowed at the audacity this female had and his annoyance and anger was returned a hundred fold through her stare alone.

"Call me a bitch again, and I will make sure the next thing you know is how it feels to get a gender change," she threatened in a low tone.

While that statement made every man in that room cringe at the thought of having an abrupt gender change and instantly cover their jewels with their hands, but Nnoitra was soon smirking again. "Woman, you can't harm me with that little thing! I have the toughest hierro of all the Espada. In case you didn't know, hierro is like an armored skin made from harden spiritual pressure. Just try, you bitch-...AGGGHHHHHh!"

By reaction, several men shrieked in horror as Fran's zanpakutou had disappeared into the once gloating man's crotch. Evidence of her success and his pain showed when his white uniform around the crotch area started turning red. She pulled her blade out. It was a gruesome sight. Nut blood started pouring out onto the floor, quickly followed by a high pitch scream that seemed to lack any oxygen, which was soon followed by its owner collapsing onto the ground.

"I doubt regeneration can grow those back," Remarri muttered behind his hand to Genesis. Though he felt it was completely unnecessary to go that far, he had to give the new girl credit. 'She's got some hangers on her.'

With blood now on her blades, the closest people immediately back-pedaled from the neutering woman. Sure, Nnoitra's regeneration as a hollow will eventually reform them, but the fact remains that she had made him a female for the time being. Besides being afraid, everyone was shocked that she had pierced through the Septima's hierro like it was thin air. Did that mean she was much stronger than the Espada?

"No, I did not know about hierro," she said, looking down at the writhing Nnoitra with cold, remorseless eyes. "But you're downfall was when you explained to me what it was and how it was made. I don't know much, but I know that I can move so quick with my movements that I can literally break through that spiritual barrier before it can react to my blades. All that force built up at these two single points, with help from the speed of my strikes, gave me more than enough to pierce through. It was a theory at first, done mostly by my zanpakutou, but it looks like she was right."

Fran looked over at her mistress and fellow fraccion. She studied each of their faces but stopped on Apache's. She remembered the girl had been ridiculed and mocked for her looks and attitude. If she's going to help her, now would be the best time to start making a change around here.

If everyone was afraid than, they were about to be petrified. Fran lifted her blades up towards the general direction of each of the males, eyes literally screaming for more blood. "And if anyone dares to mock a girl because of her looks, or attitude, or tries to take advantage of her, I will cut their dicks off and shove them up their asses." A few 'eeps' left some mouths but none dared to say anything.

Of course, there was still that one person, and he chose to start laughing himself into a coma at that moment.

"HAHAHAAHAAA! OHHH! OOOHHH!"

It was Grimmjow. Fran was fairly acquainted with the Sexta and didn't think of him as someone who she'd have to keep an eye or ear out for. He rolled side to side on his back, clutching his gut like he was in the most pain of his life. "OOOOOOHHH HAHAHAAA! SERVES THE PRICK RIGHT! HE'S NOT TOO TOUGH WITHOUT HIS HIERRO, NOW!"

Fran gave a smirk when she realized he was laughing at her victim instead of her threat. She was about to leave it at that, but the man continued blurting things out. She decided to enjoy the scene. "WHAT'S HILARIOUS IS THAT IT TOOK ME...ULQUIORRA...HALIBEL...NELIEL..ZOMMARI..AND RUDOBON...LIKE TWO FUCKING WEEKS OF TRACKING THROUGH A SANDSTORM TO CATCH HER! HAHAHA! THE DIP SHIT HAD NO IDEA WHO HE WAS FUCKING WITH! AAAAAHHHH HAHAHA!"

He finally started to gain some control, but his face was red and blue from laughing so hard and from the lack of oxygen, but as soon as he did, he passed out. While everyone who'd heard that last part looked at Fran like she was the most unbelievable thing ever, Grimmjow's fraccion walked over to the unconscious Espada in concern. They saw he was slowly breathing, but he had a huge, shit-eating grin on his face.

Fran was soon swarmed by her fellow fraccion(females, while obviously, the rest kept their distance). Ying and Yang, Lilinette Apache, Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun, and some other unnamed girls surrounded her with mixture of awe and excitement.

"So, are you able to cut through anybody's hierro?" Mila asked. The others anxiously waited to hear the answer. Lilinette was bouncing up and down. Finally, there was another girl who wasn't afraid to beat up an Espada, ignoring the fact that Stark would never lay a finger against her.

"I believe so, but that's it. When I get past the hierro, I'm sure my blade would have a similar effect any other would against whatever's past it," she explained. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though my blades can easily penetrate one's hierro, it's not gonna have the same effect against bone or muscle or armor."

"What else is your form capable of?" Lilinette asked. "What? What? What?"

Her peppiness caused the cheetah warrior to crack a smile. She bent down and rubbed Lilinette's helmet mask fragment affectionately, much to the girl's annoyance, but since Fran had just castrated the biggest asshole in Las Noches, she figured she'd cut the new girl some slack. "I'm not even sure. I've yet to master it. This is the first time I've used it, after all."

As she said that, she felt very tired all of a sudden. All of the girls took a step back as a bright light surrounded Fran and her resurreccion resealed itself. Once she was back to her regular self, she took a step and stumbled forward. Halibel was there before anyone else to catch her. She looked down at the girl who had just made a name for herself in Las Noches on her first day and couldn't help but smile when she saw that the girl was asleep.

"Her resurreccion has used up alot of energy," she said, calming the worried looks on the girls' faces. "We just need to let her sleep and recover her strength. Apache, Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun, come. We are leaving. I don't want you around here when Nnoitra finally regenerates and tries to release his anger."

The girls cringed at the picture of Nnoitra releasing and trying to rip everyone to shreds. He'd undoubtedly try to take his frustration out on them, since it was a female who destroyed his pride. Their attention shifted to Fran who slowly opened her eyes.

"Sorry...I'm just..sleepy."

Halibel picked her up bridal style, just to make the trip more comfortable for Fran, and got ready to leave. "Missed.." Fan muttered.

They heard it but couldn't make any sense of it. "What missed?" their mistress asked. The girl in her arms rolled her head over, laying it on Halibel's chest. Though it looked intimate, nobody thought about about it like that.

Mumbling some more, Fran muttered, "I missed...smaller...than I thought.." she fell back asleep, leaving the girls' present to think about what they'd just heard. The silence was soon followed by Apache snickering. Than Apache chuckling. Than Apache laughing out loud. What was so funny?

When Apache caught a deep breath, she explained what she figured Fran had said. "I think she's trying to say that she missed what she was aiming for, that Nnoitra's junk was smaller than she thought." She was grinning the whole time and when she said that last part, she had to cling onto Yang nearby for support while she was overtaken by another fit of laughter.

The rest soon got it and immediately joined in on the laughter. Halibel gave a small chuckle from behind her collar and left in sonido towards her palace to put this young woman to rest. She would have to get another room for her soon, but till than, Fran was going to have to sleep with somebody else. Since she'd made a quick connection with Apache earlier, and obviously meant for that speech in the training facility for Apache's sake, she figured the fraccion wouldn't mind another bed buddy.

A minute later, she arrived back to what she figured was her palace's front door. The only thing that was out of place was a ten foot gaping hole in the wall where the entrance use to be. 'Must've been Apache in her emotional distress. I'll have to have a small talk with her.' She walked through the door and immediately saw another hole similar to the first one. On the other side, she could see Apache's room where there was the faint glistening of broken glass.

Curiously, she stepped into the room to investigate. She saw the mirror that was sitting on top of some drawers shattered around a single focal point. 'She must've punched it. Did she really think she was ugly enough to punch her reflection?' The Primera gave out an exhausted sigh and proceeded to carry Fran over to the blue bed. Shifting the majority of the girl into one arm, she used the other to pull the covers back.

Steadily, she laid the tired girl onto the bed and pulled the covers up, tucking her in up to her shoulders. Fran grabbed hold of the covers and twisted her body more into them. To anyone who would see her like this, all they would be able to see of Fran was a ball of white hair and a lump underneath the covers. Halibel let a small motherly smile sprout on her face, her now gentle eyes taking in the cute sight. 'Is this how it looks when the others sleep? I never noticed.'

As she walked out of the room, out of sight from Fran, the sleeping girl's grip tightened onto her pillow. She started mumbling something incoherently, but out of the jumble of words and sounds, a clearly defined word reached Halibel's ear. "..malik.."

Halibel had stopped walking and tried to listen harder. After several seconds and nothing else, she assumed it was just her imagination. After all, that was one of the strange topics that were brought up before Fran's transformation and it was still on her mind. Tiredly, she dragged her feet towards her room, already dreaming about a cold shower and her bed.

* * *

><p>(Soul Society)<p>

Things that often went on behind the closed doors of the highly secretive 12th division's Research and Development lab were kept within the building. Many of the Soul Reapers there cared not what went on, as long as they got the chance to make their ideas possible. Needless to say, with a mindset like that established by none other than the division's very captain, there were always unrecorded experiments involving humans, soul reapers, and hollows alike; experiments that would be considered illegal and inhumane at the very least.

They often ranged from genetic re-engineering of beasts and humans for sick pleasure or in hopes of creating something useful out of a recipe that creates nothing but death and failure. Only a person so callous, so twisted, so undeniably evil could ever cope with permitting or even performing this sick tasks; much, much less than finding pleasure and amusement in them.

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi was that kinda person. His only love was science and exploring the unknown and mysterious. He was a mind so devoted to his research, he would often test his ideas or theories on himself to make sure nothing went wrong. If he was unsure, than he'd just strap some poor soul, hollow or not, to a table, prep'em for the experiment, than cross the line b/w having a conscious and not having one.

He often kept many thousands of test subjects caged several stories underneath his own personal, highly secretive laboratory. The only ones who know of it where himself and his artificially created daughter and lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi. It is here that the doors scream at the person applying enough force to make them move on their ill-maintained hinges The ever stoic and cyborg-like beauty walked into the specimen cell-block on orders to prep a certain test subject for further experimentation.

Going about her memory, she automatically took a right, went down four rows, then proceeded to calmly walk down the row to the 136th cell. She flinched not once whenever a creature attempted to break out by ramming the cage bars. The beasts ranged from all shapes and sizes, some even requiring specialized cells to contain their occupants. A hollow/human hybrid charged a cero from within its cell and aimed it straight at Nemu. The woman paid it no attention as it launched its attack. The red cero exploded against the glass. From the inside, one couldn't tell if it had any effect, but the answer was all too obvious from the outside.

The glass was made, in part, by special materials made specifically to dissolve the captive's spiritual attacks to nothing. Therefore, the end result of the desperate use of energy was to only fill the container with smoke and to drain the already diminishing supply of spiritual pressure from the prisoner. Uncaring, she kept going further more, ignoring the multitude of chimeras and horrific beasts that have been victimized by the mad scientist's love for experimenting. Once they were of no more interest, Mayuri had them locked up in the cells till they died. A terribly slow fate, but one that couldn't come soon enough for some.

She passed by a cell that was coated with blood on the inside. The Soul Reaper inside had been injected with menos grande blood. The result..was a mutated soul whose mind decided living its current existence right now was worse than dying. Signs show that it had repeatedly rammed into the steel walls head first til it died from the blunt trauma. Nemu glanced at the cell number and row letter of the cage and found its match on one of her spread sheets. Taking her pen, she marked an 'x' by it.

After about five minutes, she finally made it to row R4, side B, 136th cell. Inside was the huddling form of a soul reaper, one who'd been hiding in a gigai within the World of the Living for decades. Of course, Mayuri didn't tell the Head Captain that he was wearing a gigai, so the decrepit man was believed to be a human. Even though Yamamoto had given the order to have him humanely executed, Mayuri forged some documents to have the new specimen transferred over to his department.

Since than, several months ago, this poor reaper had been through several procedures and tests. When it was said, it sounded like any normal thing, but Nemu knew all too well that anyone who went through atleast one of his tests were never the same. However, this particular person has shown surprising resilience mentally atleast, and has been able to maintain his sanity at the most part.

"Subject R4B136. Mayuri-sama will be expecting to have you prepped for more tests within the hour. If you attempt to escape, than I will be force to subdue you. Do you understand?"

She made a signature using her spiritual pressure on a panel over the cage door. A light on the scanner roved over the imprint before turning green, opeing the cell. Nemu kept her guard up as she stepped into the dark cage.

When she came near, the figure opened his tired eyes and looked up at the young girl who he had already figured wasn't a normal soul. She did everything that psycho told her to do without question or hesitation, even if he insulted her or beat her. Though, unknown to her master, he had seen her display an emotion before. Sorrow.

When he was being tortured a couple of weeks back, her captain had back-handed her across the room when she wasn't moving fast enough. As usual, she came back to him obediently and softly apologized. The man didn't even acknowledge the apology and continued to yell insults at her, calling her a 'fat whore', or a 'lazy cow'. Apparently, even robots have feelings, because unseen to her master, a lone tear rolled down her cheek as she continued to obey the lunatic's commands. He had at first thought it was his eyes playing tricks on him, but no, it was still there. She quickly brushed it off, assuming it was nothing.

"Poor child," he had said, right before the experiments began.

Her eyes had widened just the tiniest fraction when he said that, but that was all she showed. "I know what I saw," he said, once again pausing her actions. "I know a tear when I see one. I've shed plenty these past 'God knows how many' days."

Nemu thought about what he had said. She wasn't going to admit that she had almost cried. It was something she didn't quite understand completely, either. From her knowledge of human and soul reapers, one cries because either the emotional or physical pain they feel becomes too great to bear. One of her theories were that their eyes, like any other time, would secrete tears to remove any dust or dirt from them. But the main point of her theory was that when faced with sadness or pain, the mind doesn't want to believe what its eyes are telling it, so it activates the tear ducts to wash away from the eyes whatever might be causing its distress.

That was just her theory anyway. She knew she had let a tear out several weeks ago. If she applied her own theory to herself, than would that mean she secretly wished for something to end? But what could it be? Was it Mayuri-sama? He tended to insult and/or beat her whenever he got upset or didn't have anything better to do. Sometimes he'd even use her own body for experiments. Does that mean she felt sad? Or angry? But she was a drone; an emotionless, artificially created being made for the single purpose of fulfilling all of her master's wishes.

This strange occurrence is something she will have to set aside plenty of time for to better understand and study. Without even responding to the man, she hefted him over her shoulder like he weighed nothing and walked out of the cell. The worn out man broke into a small coughing fit from being so roughly man-handled by the young woman.

"Mayuri-sama will be wanting you to be ready. I will carry you to insure we're on time," she said.

Shunpo-ing out of the cell-block, they shortly afterward arrived at a room that was filled with different sorts of instruments and 'utensils'. In the center was a surgery table, illuminated by an overhead light, like one you'd find in any evil maniac's laboratory. It was a silver, metal operating table sitting on a single, metal stand that could raise or lower the table simply by turning a small crank wheel on it. There were five metal clasps positioned to be at the subject's ankles, wrists, and neck. The old man saw the table and sighed, as if it didn't bother him anymore.

She laid him on the table, showing the first real image of the man. Normally, Nemu wouldn't have been worried much. She'd helped Mayuri perform countless experiments. Why should this man be any different? Well, sometimes seeing the body of a still living and breathing man rotting away in several places from having been injected with dozens of different fluids would unsettle the toughest person. How he was still alive was nothing short of miraculous.

His right arm, from his shoulder to his elbow, didn't even have a biceps. The rot had taken it all away and was working on his triceps Pieces of his cheeks were gone, giving her a clear view of his teeth and his gums which were slowly succumbing to the same cheeks' fate. His chest was the worst. The muscles that had once adorned his body were now gone, replaced with some kind of yellow fungi that could be seen pulsating every other second. It had eaten its way clear through his chest plate and his heart was barely visible. The slow thump-thump...thump-thump's showing that he still had life in him.

Lower down, his testes and penis had long since been eaten away. Every time he peed, it would just be a vertical drop for the black, semi-liquid fluid. His once strong legs were now pale white and feeble. His left knee cap down to his foot were rotting away at the whim of some red, mushy paste along several lacerations. On his other leg, it looked better than any other part, but the skin was gone and you could only see the blue-ish remnants of his leg muscles. It was practically dead to feeling, the nerves having died from the constant exposure to the elements for several weeks.

Nemu was surprised to feel some nausea in her stomach. 'I'll get it check out later.' She met little resistance as she guided the man onto his back and strapped him in. She looked down at him in wonder and pity. 'What will is so powerful that it could keep this man from joining the dead?'

"Let's get this over with, Nemu-dear," the old, decaying man said. She obliged his command, even though she wasn't under his authority, and prepared to inject a stimulant formula into the artery in his neck, since it would be a waste going in through the arms. This was to keep him from passing out.

As she was about to push the fluid into his bloodstream, she paused. After a couple of minutes of standing there, she took it out and grabbed a different formula. The old man didn't recognize it and weakly asked her what she was doing. "This is a pain reliever. You will not feel what my master has planned for you this day," she said. She said it as if it were just another order, but inside, she felt wrong for having a part in doing this to him. 'I will definitely have to study these strange...'anomalies' when I get the chance.'

The effects of the drug took hold immediately as all the pain on the soul's face slowly vanished away and for the first time in months, he was relaxed. He looked at her like she was an angel or goddess and that was all she needed to see to tell he was thankful.

About ten minutes later, her master walked through the double doors with a sadistic grin on his face. He peeled off his haori in favor of a lab-coat from a coat hanger by the door. He looked over and was pleased to see his pathetic daughter do something right, even if she rarely made mistakes. "Excellent. I'm glad I didn't have to tell you twice, you stupid little whore, Nemu. I assume you've already given him his pre-surgery shot."

"Yes, Master Mayuri," she confirmed obediently. "The subject did not give any resistance."

The captain walked over and inspected the old man with criticizing eyes. He raised a gloved finger over one of the large puss wounds and jabbed it with a pointed finger. Expecting to hear the man's screams of agony that he often enjoyed, the scientist's ears were rewarded instead with a bit of laughter.

"Go fuck yourself, Mayuri."

His eyes shot over to the experiment who had, until just now, always writhed in pain whenever he did that. Something was most certainly different. "Nemu, did he make any complaints while moving over here?"

The girl shook her head. "No, sir. But, he did have a coughing fit when I carried him. Besides that, he didn't make a sound."

"Hmm..." he tried to think of any possible reasons, but one kept sticking out among the others. "Perhaps the extent of damage to his body has become so great that it's destroyed his nervous system, or something is blocking the neural pain receptors from sending their message to the brain. Intriguing."

He picked up a scalpel and stuck the tip against the man's foot. "Tell me if you feel this. I prefer my answer in screams, if you'd be so kind." He pushed on the scalpel til the point of it disappeared inside the decaying foot and started pulling up the length of his foot, up to the ankle.

"You're adopted. Your parents don't even love you," the man joked heartily. His insolence was rewarded with several vicious stabs in the gut from Mayuri. He had made sure not to hit any organs, yet to cause as much pain as was affordable. To his chagrin, his subject laughed some more.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me, Mayuri. As long as my grandson's alive and free, than I've already won."

The estranged man stopped in the middle of another incision. "Yes, that boy of yours. You probably won't believe it, Toicha, but Captain Soifon went to arrest him a couple of weeks ago but he defeated her."

The man now identified as Toicha (as if you all didn't know that already) stopped laughing. Did he hear this man right? Had his grandson become powerful enough to defeat a captain? He wouldn't have believed it, but he was familiar with the fact that Mayuri didn't ever bother to lie, unless he was planning something horrible for them. He was already strapped here being tortured, so the Captain wouldn't have any reason to lie.

"Shocking, right? We all arrived just in time to stop him from killing her. He was all upset about some Fran woman being killed."

Toicha's eyes widened. Fran was Malik's girlfriend! Practically his soul-mate! She's dead? How? What the hell's been happening out there? "Well, him and his three friends, including Tessai and that damnable Urahara, practically declared war on us, thinking we killed her. To bad..I wouldn't have mind dissecting her as well. He dueled with Captain Zaraki and even managed to wound the brute without taking a hit, as impossible as that sounds."

Toicha was speechless. His grandson, his Malik, not only defeated a captain, but took on the craziest, strongest captain in the Gotei 13? "Yes, while the fight was very entertaining, one of his accomplices distracted us with smoke a kido and retreated with him. I was so upset that I couldn't have gotten hold of him. I would have loved to have cut him open like a frog to find out all his body's secrets. Toicha, do you know what makes this human special? If you tell me, I might let you go."

Malik's grandfather stared into the cruel bastard's eyes that were just a foot away from him with all the malice that he could muster. Catching the grinning Mayuri off-guard, he made a gross sound in his mouth and hocked a loogy right in his face. Or, almost right in his face.

Now, part of the technique of spitting is to gather air into your mouth so you'll have something to push the spit out, but since in Toicha's case where he had holes in his cheeks, he couldn't obtain maximum velocity with his attack. So, with a decrease in velocity, and according to the law of gravity, the loogy slowly began to descent before hitting its mark. But Toicha was aiming for the man's face. When the loogy dropped, it landed smack-dabbed into the open, grinning mouth of one Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

To say the scientist's grin disappeared in the blink of an eye would've been an understatement; same for any word one would use to describe how mad he was. The captain started hacking and wiping at his tongue like there were bugs on it or something. "You insignificant...worthless...good as dead...worm!"

He rushed over to a nearby sink, poured a glass of water, poured some into his mouth, and started gargling. He rinsed, spit, and repeated several times. Laughing, Toicha happened to look over at Nemu, who to his surprise, was smiling at the expense of her master. Any more, he figured, and she'd be showing some teeth. While her tormentor was still reeling from almost swallowing an infected person's loogy, Toicha's mind drifted back to his grandson.

'He's beaten a captain. He's dueled against the craziest captain and lived. What else has he accomplished? Does that mean he's awaken my old zanpakutou? Malik...keep getting stronger, boy. If you get the chance, I hope you kill this bastard.'

While Mayuri had a chance in between gurgles, he voiced what Toicha's new fate was. "Toicha, you've just bought yourself a one way ticket to misery, despair, and pain beyond your wildest and darkest imaginations. I guarantee your death."

* * *

><p>Much to Halibel's annoyance, Tosen had just summoned the Espada to a meeting and to be there within ten minutes. This was just as she got out of the shower. Though she wanted to just unleash a Cero Oscuras in frustration, she had an image to uphold as the Primera. She was expected to attend all the meetings, exemplify what the perfect arrancar soldier should be, and all the other stuff that came with her position of power.<p>

Reluctantly, she grabbed a spare uniform from her drawer and started to make her way out of her palace when she came across her three fraccion. They were still talking about the rustle between Fran and Nnoitra when she appeared in front of them. They instantly went to attention and bowed their heads respectively.

"Halibel-sama," she acknowledged in unison. She waved them off.

"The Espada have been summoned to a meeting. I don't know when I'll be back, so take care of yourselves. Also, Apache, I put Fran in your bed, so try not to fire off anymore cero in your room. Understand?"

Sun-Sun and Mila-Rose snickered as the scolded girl's face fell in shame. "Hai, Halibel-sama. It won't happen again." Her mistress knew she was still very upset with what had transpired earlier today, and she still didn't know what all was said, but she was gonna make it a priority to find out. She brought a hand to her fraccion's face and caressed it with her thumb softly.

"We will talk privately about what happened when I come back, okay?" The girl nodded.

The Primera than disappeared from their senses in sonido and quickly made her way to the meeting room. The three girls went ahead deeper into the palace towards their rooms, which were right by each other, so Apache couldn't avoid the few smart remarks from Mila-Rose.

"God, just shut up, Mila! You know why I was upset!" Apache yelled angrily. "I'd like to see how you'd react when alot of guys are saying those mean things about you."

Born out of curiosity, Mila's question about what exactly was said about her friend got an answer they didn't want to believe. When Apache had finished explaining what had been said, Mila's joking attitude was gone, replaced with anger towards those guys, and pity for her friend, the latter she didn't show because Apache wasn't really one who liked being pitied. Some people were just too prideful for that.

There was an uncomfortable silence after that, both either not knowing what else to say, or not wanting to risk saying something they'd regret. Thankfully, Sun-Sun broke the silence with the simple suggestion of going to make sure Fran was alright. They quickly agreed and eventually made their way to Apache's room. Seeing the hole again, Apache couldn't help but remember how she'd felt at that time and what caused it. It seemed that no matter how many times she relived it, the pain was always there.

One by one, they filed into the room and saw their newest member sound asleep underneath the blue covers. Much to Apache's slight annoyance, Fran had twisted herself up in them, causing the blankets to recede from the bed edges to just where there would barely be enough for her to get under. The thought of sleeping in the same bed with the gorgeous girl wouldn't have been thought unnerving, but after that kiss she'd been given, even if it was for comfort, Apache couldn't stop the small blush was popping up.

"Bed hog," she grumbled. Mila chuckled at the sight and found it kinda cute. Another reason was because that was how she herself was when she slept. If they ever slept under the same covers, either two things would happen: 1) They would be having a tug-of-war with the blankets during their sleep, possibly ending in a cat-fight. Or 2), and this made Mila blush heavily, they would end up snuggling together with the blankets tightly wrapped around them, turning them into a taco of sorts.

Sun-Sun watched with amusement as Fran snuggled even tighter against the covers, if that was even possible. However, she heard a muttered word that the other two failed to hear due to their own thoughts. "Did you two hear that?" Her question snapped them out of their thinking, giving her a 'Say what?' look. ''Of course you didn't. I think she is sleep talking.''

"Really? What's she sayin'?" Mila asked. Since Fran was new, she was ripe for teasing, and as experience has proven over the many years, people say embarrassing things during their sleep. Mila just assumed Fran had a juicy secret not meant for foreign ears.

"Well if you'd be quiet, I could hear," the snake girl retorted. She ignored the face her friend made and scooted closer on the bed towards the sleeping woman. She waited for a couple of moments, which seemed like minutes, before she heard something strange.

"...please...help...malik...malik..." by now the other two girls were listening in as well, clearly hearing Fran most likely dreaming. "malik...help..."

The three girls exchanged looks of concern and confusion. "Who's Malik suppose to be?" Apache whispered, so as not to wake their friend.

"And why is she calling him to help her?" Mila asked. Sun-Sun hadn't a clue what to make of it specifically.

"Maybe...someone she knew as her time in Hueco Mundo," she theorized. That seemed like the most possible reason.

"What if he's someone from her life as a human?" Apache suggested. The three thought about it hard. It was possible, but very, very rare. They only knew of one person who remembered his time as a human, but what he'd told Halibel about himself was all they knew as well.

* * *

><p>The Primera walked confidently, yet a little peeved, to her chair second from the right of Aizen's own, with Stark and Grimmjow flanking her sides. One could tell who had been on the two-week long mission just by looking at the Espada's faces. Everyone was showing some fatigue, and try as she did, Halibel couldn't hide her tiredness from the others completely. The only one missing was the Novena Espada, Zommari, who was most likely still in the hospital under intensive care. Grimmjow's attacks had done a real number on him.<p>

"Wow, that last mission must've been really tough," Szayel said. The others noticed it as well. It was even enough for Stark to open his eyes and take notice of.

"Man...you guys look more tired than I do," he said, "and that's saying something, since I'm always sleeping."

Instead of an explanation, they only received grumbles and closed eyes for their comments. "Guess that means none of ya'll feel like telling us?" Yammy asked. He was curious because even Ulquiorra looked weary. 'Just what they hell did they go through?'

"It probably has something to do with that new arrancar," Barragan surmised. The only response to that was a hiss and a 'fucking bitch' from Nnoitra. So far, only Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Halibel were the only Espada who knew about the incident in the training room, but no doubt the others would catch wind of it soon. And when that happened, Nnoitra's reputation as the toughest Espada would come crumbling down.

"You Espada let a measly, pathetic hollow wear you all out? How shameful!" Barragan yelled. "I believe a new ranking for the Espada is in order! Such weakness is unacceptable! Especially for you _Primera_!"

A large burst of reiatsu, one that sent a cold sweat down everyone's body save for Stark, silenced the old Espada immediately. Halibel now had her eyes glaring balas at the arrogant, old fool. Only when she felt like he got the message did she let up. "If you had been sent out there, than you'd still be out there in that sandstorm looking for her."

The only peaked the interest of the ones who hadn't gone on the mission with Ulquiorra. Thankfully, Aizen and his two captains walked in fashionably late like usual before anymore annoying questions could be asked. "I'm glad to see most of my Espada are well," their leader said.

At the word 'most' was when the clueless Espada finally noticed Zommari was missing. "Hey, where the hell's Zommari," Yammy asked.

"In the hospital near death," Halibel answered, almost as if she were bored out of her mind and couldn't care less about the Espada's well-being. That spark several questions amongst the Espada present.

"Yes, he is in rough shape," Aizen confirmed. "But don't worry. A couple of days and he should be good as new. Let us move on to the reason of this particular meeting," he urged, taking his seat. Needless to say, the Espada were giving him a little bit more attention than they normally did. "The reason of this meeting is simple: to find and convince a human to join our cause."

Than there was outrage by most. Halibel, Neliel, and Ulquiorra, having already heard part of this, refrained themselves from arguing, but it was news to everyone else, save for Grimmjow. The others, he included and Stark excluded, voiced their rage at the idea. Surprisingly, Stark was giving Aizen his full attention, probably thinking Aizen just tried to tell them a joke.

"Lord Aizen! Pardon my French, but what the HELL?" Yammy asked.

"Aizen-sama, you would disgrace our name by wanting to bring a miserable human into our midst?" Barragan all but yelled in fury. The other reactions were similar till Aizen had decided he had heard enough opinions and silenced them all with his spiritual pressure. It took a little longer than usual, given the arrancars' rage driven insubordination, but like it would always be, it was put down.

"Now that I have you calmed down, allow me to share the information I know." He motioned Gin over, who pulled out nine folders and passed them around. When everyone had one, they opened it curiously and saw several pictures downloaded from Nemu's memory bank. An easy feat when your zanpakutou makes you see a person as someone else. In this case, Aizen had made Nemu think he was Mayuri. There were also pictures taken by himself.

The first picture was one of Malik when he had released Gabriel after their arrival. They all regarded the boy with little to no interest, much like he had expected. "The boy you see here is Malik, a seventeen year old human from Karakura Town. As you can clearly see, he is no ordinary human."

To some, they merely saw an insignificant ant on a photo. Nothing about this boy seemed interesting, save for four zanpakutous, something Halibel, Neliel, and Stark took notice of. "Aizen-sama, if my eyes don't deceive me, than this _child_ has four zanpakutous?"

Her leader shook his head up and down. "Yes, that was when he released his zanpakutou. If you'd view over the other photos, you'll see the aftermath of a battle he had with the captain of the 2nd division and Commander of Soul Society's Omnitsukido Corp, Soifon. The area spanned over a great deal of the park."

Indeed, the photos showed aerial views of the park. It looked like World War III had taken place right in the middle of it. There looked to be massive trenches and craters crisscrossing throughout the region while everything was on fire.

"He had defeated the Captain, as you will notice her condition in the photos taken at first sight and while at the 4th Division barracks."

Halibel saw a gruesome character in the next photos. If she was to believe what was just said, than this smoldering husk was a Shinigami captain. Nnoitra and Grimmjow's eye widen/ears perked up at the brutality. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all. Anybody with tastes in brutality like this can't be a weak person.

"She has survived and is recuperating as we speak. When he gave her over, the captain of the 11th Division, Kenpachi Zaraki, a person you should all be familiar with by now, challenged him and sustained several injuries, though they had little to no effect on him."

A picture showed the large, powerful man with several cuts over his body. Though he looked messed up, his face didn't show any signs of discomfort. "It was than that his allies pulled him out of the battlefield, where the two proceeded to outrun three captains, including Squad 6 captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, who is widely known throughout the Sereitei for his shunpo abilities."

The rest of the photos were just ones of the damage to the surrounding environment. Though they were perplexed by this human, why was Aizen wanting him to join them? "Now I bet you all are wondering why he is important. Well, there are a couple of things. 1) He hates Soul Society with a passion unlike any of you have. I, myself, could literally feel hatred rolling off him in waves. I know he will join us if presented chance."

"And how do you know this, Aizen-sama?" Halibel asked. Aizen gave her one of his grins. He took out a single photo.

"And 2) Because he believes they killed his girlfriend, possibly lover. And," he slid it over to her. When her eyes saw the picture, she felt her heart stop. Neliel was sitting beside her, who was also flanked by Grimmjow. The two scooted over to see the photo and Grimmjow literally reeled back in recoil.

"No fucking way."

Halibel and Neliel couldn't believe it either. "That girlfriend's name was Fran," Aizen announced, "..and she happens to be our newest arrancar and your newest fraccion, Halibel." All eyes were on her now. "Tell me, Halibel. I trust Fran is fitting in well?" he asked.

It took a good moment, but the normally stone-faced woman finally regained her bearings from the shell-shock her brain had just suffered. "Y-Yes, Aizen-sama. She had just demonstrated her resurreccion earlier today and is worn out. She is currently asleep in one of my fraccion's beds."

His eyes gained a curious glint, like that of a child's. "Oh, and how was her resurreccion? I do believe I felt her power, but than it just disappeared."

"Yes," she said, going through the event in her mind. "It is called _Fuerte Reina Cheetah._ Her spiritual pressure increased, as expected, but than it withdrew into her body. Her body contained it all without leaking any out, making any chance of detecting it impossible. I believe it to be a trait carried over from her adjuchas form. As for her abilities, she still has the speed that exceeds any of us Espada, possibly even in our resurreccion forms."

A select few weren't surprised by this, but to the ones who'd yet to experience her speed, it raised several doubts in their heads. "Also, it appears that she can cut through hierro like it was never there." There were several gasps from the room's occupants. Szayel gained that devious scientist look, Nnoitra just looked angrier, Barragan looked like he was listening to a bunch of gibberish, Yammy had stopped picking his nose, Stark had stopped, leaving his finger in his ear as he heard this, and the rest were silent, yet surprised as well.

"When she was asked about it, she explained that at first, she knew nothing about hierro. She probably wouldn't have if Nnoitra hadn't explained the concept to her."

All eyes went over to the Septima who looked ready to rip Halibel's throat out. "That is very unlike you, Nnoitra," Szayel stated with a mock sense of concern. "Being nice to a female? Have you turned a new leaf?"

The Espada only gave him the finger as an answer, giving a definitive 'no.' Halibel was smiling and Grimmjow looked ready to bust into another fit of laughter, an action Aizen had no idea of its source.

"Grimmjow, is there something you're not sharing with us?" The Sexta finally cracked and started laughing, slamming his fist on the table repeatedly.

"I...I can't tell you...HAHAHA...get...Halibel..hahaHAHA!" Aizen looked expectantly at his Primera and was shocked to see her giggling at something the rest obviously didn't know. The rare show of emotion from the woman certainly stunned everyone.

"Yes, Aizen-sama. After Fran released, Nnoitra made a snide comment about her."

"A compliment!" defended said man, causing Halibel to glare at him.

"You called her a 'fine bitch'." The man looked like he didn't understand what was wrong with that. 'Of course he wouldn't know.' Sighing, Halibel continued. "Anyway, she didn't like that and before anybody could react, she was in front of Nnoitra with her zanpakutou's tips against his manhood. He explained to her what hierro was and went ahead and called her a bitch again, even after she warned him not to. She than somehow pierced his hierro and nearly neutered him."

Besides several dropped jaws and covering of their gonads, and Grimmjow erupting into an even louder laughter which started to make him hyperventilate, all was silent, save for a slight curse from Nnoitra. Though he was considered a prick amongst all the Espada, the men couldn't help but pity him. "I could say why she didn't castrate him, but for the sake of Nnoitra's pride, I will not divulge that information."

The recently afflicted man silently thanked Halibel for not showing pity, but simply trying to help him maintain some dignity. He had a feeling as to why Fran had missed, but even amongst his own mind, his pride was cursing obscene profanities at the new bitch.

"She claimed that she was able to move so fast that she could cut right through the condensed spiritual particles, but she has yet to completely understand the full extent of her abilities," she finished. Aizen took this all in as the room went silent. Grimmjow had passed out from asphyxiation once again.

So, not only could Fran serve his purpose to gain her human boyfriend as a powerful ally, but she has proven that she shouldn't be taken lightly either. Now, not only were the problems convincing the Espada, not that their opinions mattered in the finality of this situation, that it was okay to have Malik join them, but finding the boy as well. That would be where the Soul Society would have to come in. He'd get them to do all the work finding him, than he'd come in and sweep him up right from under their noses. The plan was full-proof.

Well, there was one annoying thorn in his side. Urahara. The boy was under his and Tessai's tutelage. Undoubtedly the genius was already plotting against him, and Aizen wouldn't dare think that Malik would be ignorant of the past events for too long. 'But...there's that. Yes, I'm sure Kisuke already knows about it. I could use that to my advantage, and have Malik turn against that egocentric bastard.'

"Well, I'm glad, despite some collateral damage that may've been caused, that Fran is adjusting so well so quickly. Now, when I felt Malik's reiatsu, I could tell he was holding back a great deal. I felt a massive supply of power that he'd yet to unleash on Kenpachi, but given the damage around the park, he might've used most of it on Soifon. I'll attempt to get more information from her as soon as she recovers from her surgery. As you can understand, the more powerful allies we have, the better. His personal vendetta and our goals are like two peas in a pod. They are basically the same. When Soul Society finally finds his location, which was last noticed somewhere along the eastern coast of Japan, east of Karakura Town, we will make our next move."

"Will his allies be coming as well?" Halibel asked. Aizen has failed to mention anything about them yet.

"I highly doubt it," he said, finding great humor at the thought of that. "However, I know just how to make him leave them as well. You're all familiar with one of the rules in Soul Society that persecutes humans with high spiritual pressures." Unsurprisingly, only four understood what law he was talking about. "I don't have to explain, since it's pretty self-explanatory, but I have good reason to believe that his allies know about his grandfather having been detained and has been tortured by the Captain of the 12th Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, for several months. I believe to help him grow stronger and keep focused, they have decided to keep this information to themselves. I'm sure if I shed some light on it, distrust will grow between them and he will come over to our side."

When he finished, Halibel had to admit that it was a sound plan. She couldn't even imagine how he came across so much information, especially about this boy's friends. Though that era of ignorance vanished quickly, as she wasn't a fool. If she didn't know something, she was usually quick to figure it out. 'It's because he personally knows them.' It was a thought that passed through three other Espadas' minds as well.

"I will update you all regularly on any changes in plans or events. Till than, you may do as you please while following the rules set by myself. You're dismissed."

The Espada, save for Grimmjow who was still passed out and was walked around or over by the others, exited the room. Nobody felt like getting him up. They could still sense his spiritual pressure, so they knew he was alright. Several were discussing this Malik and Halibel's new subordinate while Halibel herself raced over to her palace. She arrived minutes later with a sound of sonido following in her wake. Sun-Sun was reading one of her books, a romance novel this time, on the couch. Well, actually, she was sitting on top of a passed out Mila-Rose.

"Sun-Sun, where's Apache and Fran?"

The girl was startled by her mistress' unnoticed arrival and quickly calmed herself down. "They are in Apache's room. Fran is still sleeping and Apache hasn't come out of there. How was the meeting?"

"It was..very interesting. A great part of it concerned Fran." She now had the girl's full attention. Why would the Espada and Aizen have a meeting about an arrancar? Was it because of her little performance in the training room with Nnoitra? Did they think she could be an Espada? She didn't doubt her new friend's potential, but she wasn't going to jump to conclusions yet.

"May I ask about what, Halibel-sama?" Halibel stood at the hole in Apache's wall and saw the two sleeping soundly on the bed. It was comical the way Fran had stolen most of the covers, leaving Apache with just a corner to crawl under. Than she remembered her fraccion's question.

"I will tell you all when I feel it's right. Fran has a right to hear it when you all do."

"Hai, Halibel-sama," Sun-Sun replied. She went back to her novel, but her mind kept contemplating what could have been discussed of Fran. "Oh, Halibel-sama, two of the Privaron were here to see you. I told them you were in a meeting and they said they'll just come back at a more convenient time."

"Who were they?" she asked. She had a slight idea who one of them was. The man who trusted her just minutes after their first meeting.

"One was a large, muscular man with short hair. I think his name was Remarri." Halibel knew who it was when she said _large_. There was only one large Privaron Espada. "The other one looked like he was born from Aaroniero and Szayel's nightmares. He was tall and looked deathly sick. I can't remember his name. I'm sorry, Mistress."

'Mosinguelle,' she figured. She wasn't expecting him to come all the way out here to visit. Likewise with Remarri. 'Wonder what they could have wanted?' "It's fine, Sun-Sun. I know who you're talking about. Was that all that'd happened while I was gone?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Very well, dear. I'm going to get some rest. Feel free to wake me if you need to." Before she got into her room, she turned around and corrected herself. "'Only' if you 'really' need to." The calm Asian girl giggled and nodded in understanding. "Thank you," the exhausted Espada said.

Walking into her room, she closed the door, peeled off her clothes, and maneuvered her way into her bed. Sleep claimed her instantly as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Back with Fran, she had felt something soft nearby. In her sleep, she reached out with the covers and grabbed on to the new object and pulled it close. The sudden grasp seemed to have startled her new cushion. It tried to get away, so Fran hugged harder, pressing it into her bosom and wrapping a leg around it.

Apache had been suddenly grabbed by something incredibly strong. She acted on animal instincts and tried to kick and crawl away but the grip suddenly tightened, as well as another appendage wrapping itself around her body. She felt her face get pressed into something incredibly soft. When she opened her eyes, all she could see was black. 'What the Hell!'

She brought her hands up and tried to rub her eyes, but instead she felt something soft in the way. 'What is this? It's..really soft, yet firm. What in Kami is soft and firm?' It was also very warm. She would've probably liked to have stayed there, but not knowing what it was took priority over sleeping. 'In fact, it kinda feels like-' she had felt around it, trying to push it off of her when she heard something that made her heart stop.

"mmmm...don't...but...feels nice..."

Apache's blood froze solid. She heard a few more murmurs and recognized it as none other than Fran. Now with a sense of urgency, she placed her hands against what she figured was the girl's shoulders and pushed as hard as she could, but the girl's grip was too strong and only encouraged the sleeping Fran to press Apache's head further into her heavenly bosom, a prize any person alive would kill for.

"MMMH...GGEEFFF...LLLTLTT...MMM...GGGG." If you'd seen what position she was in, you wouldn't blame her for her inability to speak properly. Sporadically, she pushed and squirmed against the vice-like grip she was in. Again, Fran merely hugged her tighter. Apache started feeling the effects of asphyxiation settling in. Not only did the hug constrict her lungs from expanding, but she had an amazing pair of breasts preventing any air from reaching her nostrils.

'Kami, Mila-Rose's never gonna let me live this down if I end up dying from this! I've gotta get this girl to loosen her grip!' Apache than brought her feet up as well as her hands to push off. After much struggling, she finally pulled her head out of the death trap. Gasping, she greedily drinked in the cool air that now flooded her lungs. It was her gasping that finally woke Fran up.

Her heavy eyelids slowly lifted up, revealing her crimson eyes that were a little hazy. They finally cleared up and focused onto Apache's face which was inches from her own. A bit of confusion mixed with a lot of sleepiness was the only look the nearly suffocated girl could read on her would-be killer's face.

"Apache.." Fran said sleepily. Her voice stopped the struggling girl in her tracks, said girl's face quickly becoming a full blown blush that matched Fran's eyes. "What...why are you...so close?"

Apache was like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't move, didn't breathe. Her blue and red eyes stared unblinkingly into a pair of crimson eyes. Neither moved or said anything for several moments. Time seemed to stop for the two. They were so close to each other, Fran could hear and feel the rapidly beating heart of her new friend, while the other girl felt that Fran's heart rate wasn't speeding up or anything.

Finally, Apache was able to say something. "Uuuuggghhhh...ummm..uggghhh..." Well, she tried to anyway.

When the girl's muttering didn't show signs of letting up, Fran slowly brought a finger to her lips. It silenced the blabbering girl, whose felt her neck hairs rise from the close contact. Fran brought her face even closer to Apache's. They could actually inhale each other's breath from the close proximity. Agonizingly slowly, Fran brought her lips not even an inch from the other pair's. "Why do you speak funny?" she asked.

Apache's face had long since surpassed Fran's eye color at this moment as she wasn't use to the intimate contact. "I...I don't...know," she half-admitted. "I'm just not use to being this close to someone."

Fran studied the girl carefully, trying to discern what she meant. She had just became an arrancar, so she had no idea what close contact like this usually meant. "Why does this make you uncomfortable?"

Her friend fumbled around for the right words again for several seconds before seeming to steel her nerves. Her eyes, which had shut, slowly opened to reveal some moisture. "Well, it's usually suggestive."

Fran raised a brow. "What does it suggest?" Thinking of the answer only made Apache even more uncomfortable.

"Well..normally, it would suggest that they're together," she said hesitantly. Her bed-partner understood it a little bit, but she still didn't know why that was such a big deal.

"Is that the only reason?" she questioned, making Apache fidget some more.

"Well,...part of the reason...is that you're really beautiful," 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but...she has shown herself as caring and honest, so...I hope I don't embarrass myself now.' "Compared to you, I'm hideous."

Fran's didn't know how Apache could say something like that and mean it. Complimenting someone wasn't bad, but downgrading oneself was just very sad. "You think that because of what those males said earlier, am I wrong?" Apache looked dumbstruck.

"How-how did you already know about that?" Fran brought up the hand that had hushed Apache earlier and slowly began stroking her fingers through the blue hair.

"There was a little talk about it when I was being created into an arrancar. The dark skinned man seemed very angry about it. He had brought it up as a reason against me joining Grimmjow's fraccion when the Espada requested it. So, I requested to be in Halibel-sama's fraccion. Aizen-sama found favor in my reasons, so he allowed it."

So, Fran had willingly came to join their fraccion? But why? I mean, Apache wasn't against it or nothing, she just couldn't help but wonder. "I told them several reasons, but I did not tell them one of the strongest reasons." She had Apache's full attention now. "I did it...so I could be near you."

Once again, all the thought process within Apache's head ceased. "What?" she blurted out.

Fran leaned even closer, causing Apache to blushed a dark, reddish-blue and tremble slightly. "Because, I don't want anyone to have to go through what you did. It's in my nature to want to protect and defend, rather than attack. A nature that is opposite of my resurreccion. I know you probably aren't the type to like being pitied, but there's no easier way I can say it. At the time, since I didn't know you and still don't, I pitied you."

Apache's blush was starting to fade quickly. Fran...pitied her. 'Of course...that was the reason. There would be no other reason why someone like her would even talk to me.' Seeing the self-doubt in the girl, Fran tried to reassure her. "But now that I have you met you, I want to protect you. The others too. I will not let what happened to you happen to anyone else if I can help it."

The girl stared at Fran with her large doe eyes, trying to make herself believe what she was being told. Fran saw the internal clock working in Apache's head, as well as the doubt. She sighed, getting Apache's attention. "I will prove to you that you are better than what you believe." She went forward and erased any space that was left between their lips before Apache could react.

Apache's eyes became plates as Fran's smooth lips pressed against hers. She started to tense up as she felt a hand running softly up and down her back, gently raking it with its fingernails. She saw that Fran's eyes were closed and that she looked so calm and assuring. Slowly, Fran broke her lips apart, yet kept them right in front of Apache's. Seeing the girl nonrespondent, Fran closed her eyes as she planted another, more firmer, kiss on her friend's soft lips.

Very slowly, the tenseness started to leave her and Apache felt her body relax into the bigger girl's embrace. Her eyes closed as she leaned more into the kiss as well, making Fran smile. 'If this didn't get her to see herself as a beautiful woman, than I didn't know what I would've had to do.' Unexpectedly, on Fran's part, Apache was getting into it alot quicker than she'd expected. She wasn't expecting the girl's mouth to open up slowly for her tongue to slither out and brush against her lips. She had to commend the smaller girl for her boldness, so she granted entrance for the tongue.

As Apache's tongue entered Fran's mouth and the two appendages slowly began to caress each other, the former's eyes, though covered by closed lids, rolled up into the back of her head. She wrapped her hands around Fran's waist to pull into a tighter embrace despite already having one of the girl's legs coiled around her. 'I can't believe I'm doing this. I...can't believe she's allowing me to do this and even return some. What will this mean now? Oh Kami, she tastes like...I don't know but it's addicting! Wait, the others are just outside, and there is not even a door to keep our privacy! If Sun-Sun or Mila-Rose, or worse..if Halibel saw us, what would she think?'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Fran tugging back on her lower lip with her teeth, pulling the girl's head with her. She ran a free hand through Apache's hair and released the girl's lip. "Well, that worked better than I thought. You quickly overcame most of your self-doubt and embraced the gesture, though more than what I was prepared for," she teased.

Apache instantly blushed and began to feel embarrassed. 'Wait, I took it further than what she wanted? But she returned it?' "Apache, I can tell by that faraway look in your eyes that you're thinking too much. I did this to help convince you that you are a beautiful woman, that those males from today were wrong."

"So wait..you only did this to try and help me?" she asked, sounding hurt. Fran kissed her on her nose before correcting her friend.

"Do not think that. The truth remains that you are beautiful and should not worry about your looks. I merely used this method to try to make you believe that," she reassured. "If I'm going to be a part of this group, I don't want anyone doubting themselves in ANY aspect. Understand?"

Her tone at the end had caught Apache by surprised. It was very authoritative, a far-cry from the one that's been talking to her. When she didn't respond immediately, Fran asked again. "Understand?"

The girl slightly jumped and 'eeped' a "Yes, ma'am," much to her own annoyance, as well as Fran's at having been called a 'ma'am.'

"Don't call me a 'ma'am', please." It was an order, not a request. Apache quickly nodded her head, both in fear and understanding. "Good, Apache-chan." The honorific didn't go unnoticed by the addressed girl, who looked at her questioningly. She got a "I'd prefer to give that suffix to the others as well, except for Halibel-sama."

She got a 'ahh' from her horned friend. Closing her eyes, she drifted quickly off to sleep as another wave of exhaustion was flooding her body. Apache was still, much to her chagrin, trapped her Fran's limbs and wasn't gonna dare wake the girl up trying to get out. Eventually, she closed her eyes as well and went to sleep, having nowhere to rest her head except on Fran's soft chest. Unknown to them, they had two spectators watching and listening from the other side of the hole, wearing a big and a small grin and feeling a deeper sense of respect and appreciation towards the new girl.

They backed away from the hole back towards the couch. Mila-Rose plopped down on the armrest of one side while Sun-Sun sat in the middle of the comforter. There was a little bit of silence as they reviewed over what just happened.

"Ya know, that was really nice of Fran," the Amazonian said, breaking the silence. "I mean, to already care that much about one of us on the first day? That's something rare."

For once in a very long time, Sun-Sun agreed with her friend. "Yes...although I'm surprised by her methods, I won't deny their effectiveness." She had felt her face heat up having witness part of Apache and Fran's kissing scene. Though the duo's heads were just above the covers, they were still visible.

Mila had woken up right after Halibel-sama had went to sleep, but Sun-Sun kept the girl from screaming out when she'd realized the smaller girl sitting on her like a cushion. Sun-Sun had threw a hand over Mila-Rose's mouth when she started to hear noises from Apache's room. Feeling it was worth investigating, the two had crept up to the wall and listened in, occasionally sneaking peeks at the two bed-buddies, a term that was given a whole new meaning now.

"The important thing is that it appears Apache has regained some of her old demeanor. I was actually getting sick of it, despite it not even being a single day." They all were just so close to each other, so whenever something changed, the effects were usually immediately felt and very drastic. She'd have to thank Fran whenever she got the chance.

"Yeah, I had talked to Apache earlier today...well, tried to talk to her, before you came in. She just wasn't the same. There was no bark or bite from her, none of that usual spunk that we both know and love. I'm really glad Fran came when she did." Mila's thoughts were full of questions and thoughts about the other feline of the group. 'She sure is something, I'd give her that.'

Seeing as there was nothing to do and everybody else was sleeping, Mila and Sun-Sun said their farewells and went to their respective beds to retire for the time being.

* * *

><p>About a couple of days after the funeral cremation, things were running a bit more smoothly. Tessai had built an amazingly well-crafted, life-sized sculpture of Fran instead of a regular tombstone. He had felt it wouldn't have been commemorating enough, so he had spent several nights working in his own basement, sometimes giving out a maniacal laughter that could be heard by the others. He had refused to admit to anything save for thinking of a funny joke, to which they sweatdropped at.<p>

When he had finally finished, he had gathered everyone to where they'd held the funeral service. They complied, unsure of the meaning behind it, but guessed that the thing completely covered by the white bed sheet had something to do with it.

"My dear friends," he had elegantly begun. "Contrary to Urahara-san's vote for a regular tombstone, I have been working fervently to make something that was less gloomy and would solidify the memory of Malik's late-Fran's life with had been abruptly halted Behold your eyes, everyone!" he had dramatically, then proceeded to rip the cover off, revealing what everyone at first thought was Fran herself. The detail that gave it away obviously was the color, since it was made of stone, that was infused with kido to combat the elements and aging.

Malik was breathless as he laid eyes on his first 'unrelated' love, the related being his grandfather. Tessai had inscribed every detail that he could recall about her body. It helped since he had cleaned her up before burning her. The length of hair, her small jaw and nose, her athletic build and womanly curves, and her gentle smile. She was standing, holding a rose in her hands in front of her. Her face was tilted down, but her eyes looked away, like she was somewhat shy.

The others' reactions were, more or less, the same, but more vocal. Urahara admitted that this was alot better than a tombstone with a name on it. Yoruichi patted the big man on the shoulder and complimented it, but inside, she felt slight disturbed by it. She felt like it was looking right at her, daring her, like it knew of her secret feelings for the still-living boy. Malik had cried a couple of tears and gave Tessai a hug that was perhaps stronger than his own. Yoruichi had to pry the two apart when they heard the man's back pop a couple of times and his face had gotten a little redder, most likely from the pressure.

After a bit more talking about it, they dismissed themselves and went about their own business. A couple of days later, they decided to get Malik thinking about training for the inevitable confrontation with Soul Society. Not wanting to rush him, Kisuke had decided to just show him his 'Palace of Pain.' Immediately, Malik had been surprised that there was yet ANOTHER underground training facility that Urahara and Yoruichi built, this one right under the buildings and even bigger than the first one. He had imagined most of his training would be having to run circles around the island and climb up the mountains like in that fourth Rocky movie.

Unlike the first one, this training area had multiple entrances, one in each of the houses, making for quicker access for everybody if they were all in their own houses. Much to his discomfort, the door in his house was right underneath the rug in his bedroom.

"But what if Yoruichi tries something funny while I'm asleep?," he had argued. "Or I wake up with Tessai underneath my covers or something!" That had gotten a good bit of laughs, one honest assurance of personal space, and one sly grin from a dark skinned, definitely pedophile flirt.

"Oh, you'll like that, wouldn't you, Malik-kun," she teased. The other men giggled at the thought, but Malik had blushed when she got her face up to his. Either she was a really good tease, or he could swear he saw her raping him in her eyes. "Just know this," she had whispered, making him more nervous. "I like my meals already prepared. I expect you to be undressed by the time I come in. You might as well just leave the door open." His blush grew to impossible shades as she walked off looking completely innocent.

That night he had moved his bed so that one of the legs was sitting on top of the floor door.

Everything had stayed quiet and he wasn't physically disturbed much, though that didn't mean he got a second of sleep. He had rolled himself up in his blanket like a joint, making sure to also cover his head. He hadn't dared to look out the covers when there came a soft scratching on his window and a 'meow.' After about ten minutes, the 'cat' had finally left, he assumed, and there were no more disturbances from the temptress.

Starting that next morning, he avoided Yoruichi like the plague for the next couple of days, being too afraid to get close. Much to his anger, she would just laugh every time she saw him. To avoid her whenever possible, even though he knew she was just messing with him and he was acting childish, he spent most of his days consorting with his zanpakutous. He had sparred with Gabriel a couple of times, but much to his displeasure, the spirit had been beating the crap out of him with a new technique.

When they fight, Dragira stayed out of it, since that just wouldn't be fair. Even though he's beaten Gabriel before, the zanpakutou has been using a new technique, utilizing all three swords at once. He won't be allowed to learn it until he defeats the antagonistic zanpakutou. '**How can you control a power you can't even defeat?'** he had been told.

Whenever he had visited Dragira, they'd just talk and relax. Only thrice in the past week and a half have they actually discussed his new body and techniques. He learned that his Incendia Respiro was a kido based attack that had several effects besides being extremely hot. If breathed by someone other than himself, the kido will enter their body and slowly incinerate their lungs. It was a terrible technique, but one he would use if needed. Besides that and his 'Crimson Flame of Death' (**A/N: S****eriously, if anyone can give me the Japanese translation for this, or something close, I would be eternally grateful.)**, she wasn't going to teach him anything else for the time being.

Now, about his 'hybrid' status. She explained that while she was just intending on creating a bond between their souls, they actually took it an undetermined number of steps further and nearly bonded their beings. It was common sense that a human being combined with a spiritual being not of his own would become part human/spirit. **_'You can be seen by all and felt by all_**,' she had told him in moron terms. **_"_**_**Your halves will share all aspects of each other. You can fly and have super strength, or maintain incognito among the living. With just a small coating of your spiritual pressure, your body can become invisible to the spiritually unaware. The best of both worlds. Also, because our beings have merged to such a degree, your body will slowly become more like mine till they balances out.''** _

Okay, with that bit of news, he hadn't thought it was -WHAT? She had repeated herself again, only for him to nearly faint. **_"That is the only way you will able to use my Incendia Respiro without ever harming yourself,"_** she stated. _**"If things had went according to plan, than you would have to be more careful, but since you're body will eventually become similar to mine, your lungs and the rest of your internal organs will secrete an enzyme that he nullify the flames' effects." **_He had to shake his head a couple of times to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

"So...am I going to turn into a half-dragon person like you?" he had asked. She had thought about amusing him but there were always other chances to do that, however the possibility wouldn't be unappreciated. She kept that little secret to herself.

"_**No, not like me. The change will stop when your being is balanced b/w us two. You might get a slight skin color change, probably not a tail or wings, and even a different attitude and habit. You'll most likely get teeth like mine, along with an increase in muscle build and certain area of your anatomy will possibly change,"**_she explained. Since her skin was already red, he couldn't tell that she had blushed. She wouldn't, and didn't, explain to him what she meant by that last part when he repeatedly asked her.

It happened to be on this day, in the present, that he'd see the first signs of his 'change'. And it happened when he woke up that morning. He opened his eyes to find himself underneath dozens of blankets, where they came from being a complete mystery.

"What the hell is all of this?" he mumbled before actually knowing that they were blankets. He saw a bright light about five feet away and crawled towards, all the while imagining himself eating a big breakfast of about a dozen eggs, a glass of milk, a couple of goats, and cat. He stopped himself. 'A couple of goats and a cat? I must be more tired than I thought.' When he got out into the open, he looked back and saw a massive mound of blankets stretching from one end of the bed to the other, and the small hole he had crawled out from. 'Note to self: make up bed when done eating.'

His feet moved with a mind of their own towards the kitchen, dragging a half-asleep body with them. He was too tired to argue with them, so he complied without complaint. When he got into the kitchen, he immediately went to work on breakfast. His hands moved as if possessed as they opened the refrigerator grabbed a whole tray of eggs and the jug of milk, shut the door, and began preparing his small meal.

He started cracking open the eggs and dumping them into a mixer bowl. He yawned and thoughts about what he was going to do today. 'Kisuke will probably want me to start training today. Dragira and Big Gabe (cue instant headache), right...Gabriel thinks it'd be good for me. Yoruichi...ummm, cat...what the? I must be really hungry. Anyway, she probably wants to do shunpo and hakudo training, probably without my zanpakutous' help. Tessai will want to work on kido while Hat'n Clogs will do zanjutsu. Okay, I think that's seven eggs.'

He looks down, the first since he's started, but sees the whole tray empty and all the eggs in the mixer bowl with some milk poured into it. "Crap...now how am I going to eat all of this?" 'Maybe Yoruichi would like to help me out..yummy kitty...' "Dang it, there I go again. I'm taking a cold shower when I get done eating. Maybe then I'll wake up. Making the bed up can wait."

Malik put the half empty jug of milk back in the fridge, took the bowl of eggs'n milk, and walked out the door to get to Yoruichi's. Crossing the lawn, there wasn't much going on in his head. 'Sleepy...hungry...Yoruichi...mmmm...' Before he knew it, he was knocking on Yoruichi's door in nothing but some boxers. He lazily scratched underneath his chin and waited. He started to grow impatient when finally the woman who took up part of his thoughts opened the door with a sleepy face and droopy eyes and no surprise, she was naked, but both were too tired to care.

"Kisuke, do you know what time it is?" However, when she saw Malik who looked just as sleepy, if not more, at her doorstep, butt naked, with a bowl in his hands that looked like he had recently filled it with something, she understandably woke up immediately. Now that she was awake, she actually slapped her face lightly to make sure she was up. "MALIK! What the hell is going on with you?"

The yelling woke him up, and of course, his first interpretation of her question caused him to blush. 'Please don't let me have morning wood. Please don't let me have morning wood.'

"Your entire body is different," she yelled.

'Thank God,' he became relieved. Honestly, she could've said something alot more serious.

"And you're NAKED?" she added.

His relief became confusion. 'Wait, what?' "Yoruichi-sama, what are you talking about?" She looked at him like he was Yamamoto who'd just cracked a joke, not that he would know the relevance of that anyways, but all you readers understand. Well, she just kept looking at a certain part of him.

"Why are you naked?" she asked. He looked himself over with sleep-encrusted eyes, not looking the least bit disturbed.

"Why are you naked, Yoruichi-sama?" he shot back. "That wasn't a very nice way to say hi after I came all the way over here to share these eggs," he gestured at the bowl in his hands.

"What?" she asked, confused. "What eggs? The bowl's empty." His head turned lazily to look at the bowl and it was indeed empty. 'Weird.' He didn't notice the remains around his lips. She currently moved that subject to the side for later and tried to focus on the more obvious one now. "Besides, I'm not the one who's got weird markings over my body either!"

Whatever retort he had prepared, it died. "What markings?" She gave him an 'Are you serious?' look. Seeing he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, the naked woman dragged him into her house by his arm, making him drop the bowl onto the grass beside him. It didn't break, just for whoever cares. I would. I walk around barefooted all the time, and I'd be pissed if I stepped on some broken glass in the grass. "Yoruichi..mmm kitty..NO, I mean where are we going?" he asked, slapping his head to knock that weird feeling out of his head.

She didn't know how to interpret that 'kitty' comment, or the 'mmm' noise he made. It was almost as if he thought 'kitty' was yummy. She pushed the idea aside, seeing as he was just now starting to wake up more, and brought him into her bathroom. She flipped the switch and what Malik saw brought his mind back to reality a good bit more.

"WHAAAAAAATT?"

His body had, like Dragira told him what seemed like a lifetime ago according his current mental state, put on some muscle; atleast twenty pounds of it. His chest was bigger, as well as his calves and arms; forearms included. His abs, once just small blocks of hard, toned muscle, were now rectangles that stretched twice the length over his abdomen. His deltoids on his back were larger, giving his body the look of a V-shape from both front and back views. From looks, he would guess that he was around 190-200 lbs. Besides the overall muscle mass, that wasn't what Yoruichi had been talking about, or at the moment, looking at.

His skin color, what was once a slight tan, seemed darker, like a full-body farmer's tan, as it was a shade of dark red-all over his body. There were hundreds of weird little lines making rough-looking patches or squares along his chest, abdominals, legs, arms, neck, heck everywhere! Then everything that Dragira had told him started coming back. To confirm his thoughts, he opened his mouth and sure enough, his canines were more pronounced and the rest of his teeth were more pointy than flat.

"Wicked."

Yoruichi couldn't believe her eyes, nor could she get them to look at anything else besides the kid in front of her. Whenever she tried to look away from one part of Malik's body, they'd just instantly go to another part of him and she'd find her small blush growing redder and darker. Though the lines were a little strange, just because she had no idea what to make of them, the rest of her was heating up at the sight of the completely naked, newly defined boy here in her bathroom. If she wanted to, she'd have him on his back with her on top and make him her's right there. She was heavily considering doing just that as her movements towards him suggested.

She splayed her hands over his back, startling him a bit, but not as much as she thought it would, to feel the cuts and knots of muscle. "Whoa, what are you doing, Yoruichi-sama?" He had turned around and found her inches away from him. He just now noticed she was naked and his blush began turning his cheeks redder by the second. Taking a cautious step back, he found himself trapped by the sink. Seeing as some of his shyness has returned, Yoruichi gained that mischievous grin that she was infamous for.

"Ughhh...Yoru..-ichi-sama? he asked nervously. She eyeballed his body as she trailed her hands over his newly formed chest and slowly made her way down his abs, memorizing every bit of them. Oh, she was going to spend alot of time memorizing him. She eyed his member like a piece of grilled fish, her mouth already beginning to salivate. "Yoruichi-sama..why are you looking at me like that?"

**THIS IS WHERE THE LEMON WOULD HAVE BEEN, BUT WITH THE DELETION OF MANY STORIES THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH, ALL BECAUSE SOME BITCH HAS TO BE A SNITCH, I'M REMOVING THE LEMON. IF YOU WANT TO READ IT, JUST ASK FOR IT AND I'LL SEND IT VIA PM. THIS WILL BE TEMPORARY AS I'M ATTEMPTING TO MOVE THIS STORY ONTO ADULT FANFICTION WEBSITE, WHERE THEY RESPECT OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH, UNLIKE THESE NAZI BASTARDS WHO DELETE STORIES WITHOUT WARNING.**

* * *

><p><strong>END OF LEMON SCENE, THOUGH THERE ARE SOME MATURE REFERENCES FOLLOWING THIS WARNING.<strong>

Both bodies were left tired, exhausted, satisfied, sweating, and breathing heavily. Yoruichi pulled Malik's head down lock him in another kiss, which he was all too eager to return. They broke it off about a minute later, the need for air finally overpowering their urge to kiss.

"Wow," he said, exasperated. His body had several beads of sweat making lines down his body. She eyed them appreciatively as they followed along the lines of his abs to find their way down to the bottom.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I think you've earned an exemption from training with me today."

"Hah," he laughed, exhaustion quickly taking hold. "I'm pretty tired. I don't think I can make it back to my own bed." She smiled as he collapsed on his side, lying against her. She brought one of her hands up and began stroking her fingers through his locks of brown hair.

"I'll let you sleep here, but not on these covers. There covered in your mess." Malik erupted in sarcastic laughter.

"HA HAHA HAHAHA! Funny, but most of that is yours. You swallowed alotta mine, remember?" A small blush dusted her cheeks at her earlier actions.

"Yeah, you're right. But, either way, if you don't pull these bed-sheets off, than you won't be sleeping in here," she stated.

He gave a childish whine before bringing himself to his elbows. He gave her a quick kiss on the nose before gently pulling out of her, a feeling she didn't like. When he came out, she could feel her walls slowly shrinking back down to their normal size...well, maybe not as small as before. She got up as Malik threatened to rip the covers off with her on them and instantly crawled back on the bed as he disappeared with them down the hall towards the laundry room.

Moments later, he returned, an arm load of blankets in tow. Before she could even ask why he brought all of those, he tossed them on the bed in a giant heap right beside her. "Got some covers." She scoffed.

"Hmph...men. Of course, it takes a woman to keep a house running." He crawled over into the mass of blankets. He literally disappeared from sight within them. She was about to ask about him but a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She gave a yelp, laughing as she got pulled in. She fought with little ferocity against the sweaty boy's snuggle.

"Just what are you doing?" she asked. "Why didn't you atleast spread them out?"

"Well, I'll just end up piling them up like this," he answered from behind her. His warm breath tickled her ear and she gave him a playful pinch on his side, but much to her annoyance, his skin was un-pinchable. "Aw, kitty lost her claws?"

'Oh, no he is not bringing out the cat jokes.' "We can have training today if you'd like?"

"No thanks. Let's just snuggle and sleep." She sighed, unable to believe her student was being this childish when he became a man, by man's standards, not five minutes ago. She stuck her head out of the covers, soon joined by Malik. Turning her back to him, he wrapped his arms around her waist to close any space between them.

"I've got kido class with Tessai in about a hour. Could you wake me up if I'm still asleep?" Being fatigued, she wasn't up to arguing, so she nodded and pressed her body up harder against his before dozing off to sleep. "Sleep tight," he whispered, and planted a kiss on her neck. Moments later, he finally gave under the weight of physical exertion and energy depletion and blacked out.

* * *

><p>Malik walked into the training facility to where Tessai was waiting to start his first lesson of the day. Thankfully, Yoruichi had woke him up and all but kicked him out of her house. It's been a couple of weeks since he's done kido, so today they were probably just going to review the bakudo and hado spells he's already learned. He was wrong, but he found that out after Tessai began sputtering about the new look Malik was sporting.<p>

"M-Malik-san! What happened?" Said boy sweatdropped as the large man began poking his skin, eye-balling his body, and even opened his mouth to see his teeth. "What has caused this change?"

"EEhh uuugghh et unngghh," he batted away the curious man's hands and got some space. "Ugghh...like I was going to say, it's a side-effect from the soul bond with Dragira. She explained that we actually took it a step too far and ended up nearly merging our beings. To keep things in order, my body is slowly becoming similar to hers, atleast till a balance is made. Also, if you haven't already noticed, anything that I could do in my spiritual body, I can now do in this body."

Tessai looked amazed, which seemed like an understatement. 'Had this thing really never happened or something?' Malik wondered. "In your human body?"

Malik scratched his head, now in his thinking mode. "Well, she told me that this is no longer a human body. In order for there to be balance, my body is becoming half spirit, half living, but I get the best of both sides."

And cue for more poking and looking. "Fascinating. I've never heard of this happening before, especially with a human. Urahara-san had asked about you, having felt your spiritual pressure change, but this will be beyond his expectations." The attention was starting to embarrass him a little bit, but he had to draw the line when Tessai started looking down Malik's ear.

"Okay, please stop with that, Tessai-sama. It's freaking me out. Can we just start the lesson?"

The larger man acknowledged and took about ten paces away from Malik. "Today, we will start with reviewing what you've learned of kido in the past. This will include all of the spells. We will start with bakudo #1 _Sai._ Focus them on me. I will be fine."

He observed carefully as Malik calmed and focused his spiritual pressure according to the way he was taught. 'He hasn't forgot any of it. Could this be all him, or does his zanpakutous help him? Either way, it is a sign of a true prodigy.'

"Bakudo #1 _Sai_!"

Like he had predicted, Tessai's arms were instantly locked behind his back. He pushed against them, testing their strength. With a small strain, his large arms broke the spell. "Excellent work. It may not have looked like much, but using a perfectly timed _Sai_ could give you the opening you need to win. Now on to bakudo #4 _Hainawa_."

Malik nodded. "Right, here it goes." He refocused his spiritual pressure and spoke, "Bakudo #4 _Hainawa_!" Several yellow energy ropes shot out of his left hand and pinned Tessai's arms together. The Kido master noticed, besides the fact that it was a naturally stronger spell, that this one was having more juice pumped into it.

Tessai judged the strength of it, as well as its form, and found it to be excellently made. "Very good. You've kept your reiatsu very well maintained." He couldn't help but pick on the boy some. "But," he flexed his arms and easily broke the bonding, "that won't hold a captain-level shinigami for long. Perhaps if you used it and several other spells in rapid succession. That will take some practice, I don't doubt it will be much trouble for you. Now, on to the next one."

Over the next couple of hours, Tessai had the boy go over all of the bakudo and hado spells that he knew from his short time of training before several times. Malik was able to perform all of the spells ranging from Bakudo #1-39 and Hado #1-33 flawlessly, or with little difficulty. He struggled some with the level fifty spells and higher. Though even with this limited range of kido, Malik could put enough power into them to strengthen them up there with those of kido experts.

Something else Tessai noticed was that their session went by without pause. Before, Malik would have had to rest several minutes after a certain number of spells to regain his spiritual pressure, but now, even after two weeks off, he hadn't needed to stop at all. He kept going like he had an infinite supply of energy. It must have had something to do with his new zanpakutou. That's the only reasonable explanation.

When he declared their session finished, the two left; Malik going towards his house while Tessai headed to Urahara's. When the latter got to the entrance, he knocked twice before entering. Stepping up, he noticed he was in Urahara's basement. This house and his own were the only ones with basements. If nothing else, than it was just for storage. Tessai had his personalized to fit his sculpture and painting hobbies. Urahara's liked his as a lab where he could regularly exercise his (air-quote) genius intellect.

Looking around, the place was filled with different instruments, boxes, and computers. He heard some talking in the next room, followed by some light from underneath its door. He walks up and knocks on it. There were a few sounds of feet shuffling before the door opened, revealing a surprised, robeless Urahara. He looked at his watch and tapped it a couple of times.

"Can't be time already, Tessai. What, did you go easy on him?"

"Of course not, Urahara-san. But, we've already gone over all of the kido spells he knows three times. Those include all spells under forty level." Of course, Urahara thought he was exaggerating.

"But he hasn't done any kido since that steroid version of Sokatsui; that was over two weeks ago. Back than, he'd have to rest several times." The big man readjusted his glasses and looked him in the eye.

"Malik-san has went through them all three times over non-stop. He has shown no signs of fatigue." The man lifted his hat up a bit and gave a low whistle.

"That sure is something. Besides that, have you noticed anything different? I keep feeling his spiritual pressuring morphing. It's something I've never come across before." Tessai gave a few coughs and rubbed his head, a sign that Urahara knew his friend knew something. "Alright, so what have you figured out?"

"Malik has...changed," he responded, not even sure if there was a better word. At the brow raising on his friend's face, he continued. "It's really something you have to see to believe. I was actually stuttering. I'm not sure if Yoruichi is aware of it either." Oh, she was very aware of it.

The former shop-owner brought his fan out and waved it while he thought over the meaning of his friend's words. "Well, we have the rest of the day. Plenty of time to check it out. My session starts in two hours, so I guess I'll see for myself."

"Very well," Tessai said, bowing his head. He left his friend to ponder on what kind of change Malik has undergone.

Urahara can feel the difference more today than before. He looked over to his new little project that he'd been working on for the past couple of weeks. It was still in its infant stage, but it just might be the craziest thing he's ever made. 'It can wait.' He grabbed his green coat and made his way out the room, making sure to lock it as he left.

* * *

><p>Malik hadn't even made his lunch yet when Urahara walked in. He was tired of having to constantly answer the door when there was only four people on this island, so he just propped it open with a rock he found just outside.<p>

The man made no comment of it, but when he came into the kitchen, he stopped...and stared. He didn't know what to question first: Malik, or the Caesar Palace's All-You-Can-Eat buffet he was trying to create.

Starting from his right, there was the oven, which was currently pre-heating at the moment. On top of it were a dozen Tilapia taken out of their individual packets and were defrosting in four large bowls of hot water. Beside those were about six egg shells, their innards already sitting in a drinking glass. He had a plastic container of baby spinach sitting to the right of it with half of it on a large plate, which looked like it had half of an entire chicken grilled and chopped into smaller bits on it.

The chef of this feast was currently marinating several steaks when he saw his mentor imitating a gawking statue at the kitchen door. "Hey, Urahara-sama. We're not training already, are we? I've..kinda got my hands full."

Urahara finally decided to stare at Malik instead of the portions of food. He looked over the exposed regions of the boy's body, clearly intrigued by the hundreds of scale-like marks on his body, as well as the shade of deep red. His first thought was that he'd gotten a slight sun-burn, but than again, you couldn't really get one in the training ground and he hasn't been out long enough to absorb the necessary ultra-violet the color, he did indeed look more built, instead of his lean old-self.

"Malik, how have you been feeling?" It seemed like a stupid question, seeing as how the boy was currently cooking for the entire country of Japan.

Malik finished marinating the steaks just after the oven buzzed annoyingly to let its user know that it has reached the desired temperature. He stuck the steaks on a metal pan and slid them into the oven, set the timer, and finally answered the question.

"I feel fine. I was really sleepy this morning. I woke up u-," he decided not to tell about the den made out of blankets he had in his room. Likely chance, he'd stolen some from the others. "I woke up and was making breakfast...alot of breakfast. I was really hungry, like I am now. Besides that, I've been fine. What's got you worried?"

"Well, it's just that nobody goes through a change like you have experienced overnight, nor is it even remotely common," he said. "It is a first for me. Tell me when this started."

Malik picked up the glass that had the six eggs in them and he gulped them down right there. He whipped his lips, giving a satisfied ''ahhh." "Well, it started when me and Dragira did our soul bond that night we left Karakura," he started, obviously not wanting to use Fran's death as the starting point. "She'd explained a few days after we came here that I'd go through some changes. Instead of her just becoming my zanpakutou, we actually almost bonded our beings. She told me that my body would change to create a balance between my physical body and her spiritual body."

Urahara was capturing every word and storing it within his memory. This was something too exciting, too rare, to let go undocumented. When Malik got done explaining all he knew; of his techniques, his body change, some things about the zanpakutou spirit, he already had dozens of pages filled with notes he had gotten to take, and he found himself very excited, and eager to learn more and to test his student's skills. But, he figured he'd let the boy finish his 'lunch.'

"Thank you for your time, Malik-san. There's just one question I'd like answered: Who would win in an eating contest b/w you and Yoruichi?" Malik's brow rose. Was this guy really wondering if he could out-eat Yoruichi? The woman had a perfect, beautiful body. There's no way she'd be able to eat more. 'Right? Where would it all go.' He had no idea how wrong he was, but other events were already in motion, so it wouldn't be today that he'd find out the cold, brutal truth.

Another two hours later, Malik found himself sleeping again in his 'lair'. He'd devoured every morsel of food he made and had become very tired. When he had seen he still had another two hours to spare, he crawled into his mound of blankets and escaped life. The sleep was great and he woke up much less sloppy than this morning. Checking the clock on his nightstand, he saw the time but didn't care.

'Man, only two hours. I need to take power naps more often. Now I see why Yoruichi is always in a good mood.' He thought about the encounter he had with the Flash Goddess this morning. When he would normally be a bit resistant to her dragging him into her bathroom while she was naked, he didn't blush when he remembered her naked body. In fact, he even licked his lips at the memory. Soul bonding with Dragira had changed him alot. There was no way that he was the same person a month ago. But you know what, 'I love it.'

He threw on a shihakusho. He'd give it about three minutes before it got destroyed. It's something that can't be avoided.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And that's Chapter 13, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I had difficulty writing it. My very first lemon was in here, but I removed it to keep my story 'by the rules'. I can't express in words how angry I am at this. It would be so much more simple and efficient to simply put in a MA rating filter.

Alright, now that that's out of the way, we've viewed some interesting events here. Toicha is still alive, but barely! Will Malik ever find him? And what about Aizen? Will his plan to lure Malik over work the way he thinks it will? How'bout Fran's big arrancar debut How many liked that? I promise, she's not going to be overpowered. I'll reveal some more stuff about her resurreccion later. Also, if you think I haven't been writing enough about the arrancars outside the Espadas, don't worry. I'll really focus on that when/if Malik arrives.

Till next time, addios, mi amiga/o!


	15. FMV

A Child's Journey

FMV

**A/N:** First off, I wanna say I'm very happy about the attention I received for that last chapter. I've gotten five or six reviews on it, about six favorites, three alerts, and one C2; as well as three author favorites and two author alerts. My smile rivals Kenpachi's if he was in a good fight now.

Just so you all aren't confused, this is a fanfic music video I decided to make. Just try to picture it. Listen to the song as well, if you must. It's scenes and music forshadowing coming events in the story. I got this idea when I read the FMV for K Entertainment's story, Clan Infamous: Help Wanted!. I thought it was really original for a fanfic and instantly became jealous that I didn't think of this myself. So, to atone for my sin, I've finally made this. Song is randomly chosen.

I don't own any of Kubo's stuff, so go bug someone else, lawyers.

* * *

><p>Music begins, cue Bleach logo.<p>

**(Warm yourself by the fire, son,  
>and the morning will come soon<br>I'll tell you stories of a better time,  
>in a place we once knew)<strong>

Scene shows Malik waking up sweating and panting. He feels an arm around his waist. He looks and sees Yoruichi sleeping peacefully beside him. Shows dream he had as a fire in Malik's eyes that's reflected from the fire that had cremated Fran's human body. His eyes close and open again, confirming that it was just a dream. He steps out of the house. He's sitting in front of the statue that Tessai made of Fran, standing by himself in the night with a cool breeze blowing, looking up at the moon.

**(Before we packed our bags  
>And left all this behind us in the dust,<br>We had a place that we could call home,  
>and a life no one could touch<strong>**)**

Screen splits and shows Fran standing on the balcony in Hueco Mundo, looking up at the moon as well in deep thought as well. They both sigh, but are soon accompanied by others: Yoruichi walks up to him and wraps him in a soft hug from behind; a hand places on Fran's shoulder offering some comfort. She turns to see Halibel with a concerned look in her eyes.

**(Don't hold me up now,  
>I can stand my own ground,<br>I don't need your help now,  
>you will let me down, down, down!)<strong>

Malik is lying down on the grass when a beam shoots inches above his nose. He looks up and quickly shoots Hadou #88 towards Soifon as she closes in on him with hundreds of Onmitsukido following her and the explosion knocks several dozen away. As they are swinging their blades at the other, the hatred clear as day in their eyes, Kenpachi appears in front of them, his eyes glaring at both Malik and Soifon. He has a snarl on his face as he rips his eyepatch off, unleashing his spiritual pressure, causing a massive pillar of yellow energy to blast through the sky. Screen shows its light from space.

**(Don't hold me up now,  
>I can stand my own ground,<br>I don't need your help now,  
>you will let me down, down, down!)<strong>

Video than shows Malik's hand slipping away from a crying Yoruichi's grip as he disappears into a garganta, leaving her on her knees in tears with an upset Tessai and Urahara. Malik comes out the other end inside the throne room of Los Noches. He looks up and sees all of the Espada and their fraccion, along with Aizen, Gin, and Tosen, standing before him. Fran emerges from the crowd, causing his eyes to widen.

**(We are the angry and the desperate,  
>the hungry and the cold.)<strong>

Next scene is Kenpachi walking alone in the rain. He looks up and sees Yachiru waiting in front of him. Than in Hueco Mundo, a dark figure is kneeling with a body in his hands, crying out. Behind him are two unrecognizable, darkened figures; one shrouded in fire, another in a bright blue light. They both place a hand on the first figure's shoulders. He lays the body down and rises to his feet, revealing himself to be Malik, and draws two swords and points them across the sands.

**(We are the ones who kept quiet,  
>and always did what we were told.)<strong>

Camera follows the direction his pointing and it shows the Gotei 13 all drawing their blades, some eager, others reluctantly. Behind Malik, Fran steps up, soon followed by Halibel and her fraccion, Neliel and her six fraccion, Loly and the Ying Yang twins picking on Pesche and Dondochakka while Menoly hides her face in the palm of her hand, Coyote Starrk and Lilinette, the latter holding onto Malik's left arm, than Remarri hoisting a large gun with both hands and Mosinguelle standing by Halibel with his zanpakutou/knife drawn. Soon, the rest of the Espada arrive behind them, but in the distance as in if opposition to him.

**(But we've been sweating while you slept so calm,  
>in the safety of your home.<br>We've been pulling out the nails that hold up  
>Everything you've known)<strong>

Aizen watches with interest as Malik looks between the two forces than back at his own group and gives a small smile and they all draw their weapons. Malik unleashes a blast of energy, cracking the ground, and he roars into the air with Incendio Respira, which covers the entire night sky of Hueco Mundo in flames.

**(Don't hold me up now,  
>I can stand my own ground,<br>I don't need your help now,  
>You will let me down, down, down!)<strong>

Switches to desert of Hueco Mundo showing several battles. Malik and Fran are fighting Kenpachi. The larger man swings down with both hands upon Malik just as Fran jumps between the two to save him, creating a massive explosion. Outside the dust cloud, Remarri looks up at a released Yammy. He calls out his resurreccion, engulfing him in a bright, green light. Mosinguelle is exchanging blows with an angry Nnoitra. Nnoitra swings his scythe weapon down at the Privaron, who jumps back, letting the blade imbed itself into the ground. He runs up the pole and delivers a swift, hard kick to the Septima's face.

**(Don't hold me up now,  
>I can stand my own ground,<br>I don't need your help now,  
>You will let me down, down, down!)<strong>

Above a massive forest, a bright figure descends from the clouds. His aura so vast and malevolent that trees are pulled from their roots and thrown across the region. In the bright light, the black silhuotte of Gabriel with large, feathery, black wings, glowing blue eyes, and a long, polished sword in each hand, comes forth. He raises his swords up and fires two powerful beams up at a massive, red, globular vortex, creating a massive explosion. From its remains, Dragira flies down, her wings in tight with her blade drawn, straight at him barring her teeth. Their blades clash, the power destroying an untold number of land each time they strike, while Gabriel alternates between swinging and firing off cero-like beams of blueish-white energy.

**(So open your eyes, child,  
>let's be on our way,<br>Broken windows and ashes  
>are guiding our way)<strong>

Video shows Malik walking his mindscape, the whole world set ablaze. He shakes his head and sees he's walking down a hall. He appears into the throne room where Aizen is waiting. The shinigami smiles and motions him forward. Malik's body blocks the view of what the two are doing or saying, but soon he falls down in pain and a bright light blinds everything.

**(Keep quiet no longer,  
>we'll sing through the day,<br>of the lives that we've lost,  
>And the lives we've reclaimed!)<strong>

Shows Malik sleeping on top of the dome with a sad look, but than is kicked hard in the ribs by Lilinette, who gives him a big cheesy grin. She plops down on his stomach, followed by Fran and even Neliel who sit at his sides, both giving him heart-warming looks. Yawning, he scratches his chest through his uniform, revealing a small portion of something black.

Video ends.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And that's the second FMV (Fanfic Music Video) that's ever been created, I think. Anyway, I've made this scenes to give you an inkling of an idea of what's going to happen later. But what you've read here should be taken as how it's going to happen exactly, okay? Good. I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know if you would like another one later on. Maybe I can do these after each 'season', so to speak. Tell me what'cha think? Please review or PM me. I'm always happy to hear from my readers, though please be gentle with criticism.

The song was 'Prayer of the Refugee'-Rise Against. I know I didn't use the whole song, cuz that would've been too long for a FMV.


	16. Chapter 17

A Child's Journey

Chapter 'whatever'

**AN: PREPARE FOR WALL POST: **Thank you all for the attention you've continued to give my story. It means a bunches to me, as I'm sure you know. My story is over 9,661 views, with 52 reviews, 2C2s, 39 favs, and 24 story alerts. Thank you all so much, but I believe we all, obviously including myself, can do better. And about the chapter thingy...yeah, I don't know what chapter this actually is. This same damn thing happened with my other story where I'd lose track.

For a moment, I thought about ending the story where we last left off, making the chapter with the lemon as a sorta season finale, but I knew that I would've left it at a bad spot. You all want more, right? Well, you keep coming back here, so I guess so. Don't you people have anything better to do then read some mediocre story? Whatever on Earth's possessing you all, I'm thankful towards it.

In this next 'season', though still same story, the majority of the lemons will be in it, as well as other important things, such as Kenpachi's connection to Fran, Malik's reunion with his formerly deceased girlfriend, a heartbroken Yoruichi, more detailed interaction with the arrancar, regular shenanigans from Gin, several spars and fights between Shinigami, Malik, and some arrancars, Dragira acting strange for even stranger reasons (though if you caught any of my three hints, you'll figure it out), a bankai (for which spirit?), and finally a 2nd season finale that nobody will see coming. To get all of this information in, this season will probably be twice the number of chapters as the first one, soooo...I've really got my work cut out for me.

Also, just to let you all know, the harem voting is still up. I hope, after seeing my first lemon(if it was good enough), that you all would feel more motivated to vote and have confidence in my abilities to produce decent love-making scenes. But, I'll probably have to write the version with the actual lemon on my deviantart account since Fanfiction people are cracking down on those and banning the people instead of giving them a warning before destroying all of their work instead of just making a MA rating category that'd have a proof of age security measure on it.

Oh, spoiler alert: there will probably be one or two more lemons with Yoruichi and Malik before he 'you know what', but they won't be as big a deal. I mean, they've moved past friends now, so it'll be interesting to see where this goes from here. There can also be lemons outside of the harem between two...or three...other characters. muwhahahaha.

Here's the poll right now:

MalikxHalibel-6 (this will not happen as soon as everybody wants it too)

MalikxYoruichi-6 (can happen again)

YoruichixHalibel-7 (still don't know how I'll get this to happen)

MalikxNeliel-5 (this will probably be the most fun to do)

MalikxFran-6 (this is obviously Fate at work, here)

MalikxHalibel's fraccion-3 (this is actually one of the girls at a time, not altogether)

MalikxYing/Yang twins-3 (it'd be interesting to see what causes this to happen)

MalikxDragira-4 (wow, did not see that coming, but the more I think about it, the more I'm loving it)

I've even had one for DragiraxGabriel-1. This would be both hilarious and cruel to Malik, because think about it, the two would be doing it in his head where he'll probably hear every bit of it or accidentally walk in on it. Since it's only gotten one vote, the option's out there, but the chances are slim. If it gets at least four votes, then it'll happen.

Finally, I've had some thoughts occur, and have heard similar ones from some people, of Yoruichi and/or some of the other harem members getting pregnant. While I am not against that one bit, I doubt I can make it happen in this story. Sorry. Anyone got any thoughts on that?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach or any of its canon characters.

* * *

><p>The Times Are Changing<p>

~_Two weeks later~_

_"Dear Diary, hehehe,_

_These past several weeks have been extraordinary for me. I know, I know, I normally have a boring day, or nothing new has happened, but with Malik...EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED! I'm so giddy. I haven't been this excited about something scientific since the Hogyoku project. Yoruichi and Tessai agree that Malik has probably changed several things we thought we knew everything about since he awakened my old friend's zanpakutou, Dragira._

_Now, as its name says, it most likely has the spirit form of a dragon. There aren't too many of those around lately. In fact, I don't know of a single one. Malik told us a brief summary of what Dragira's origins were. When he said that she's had dozens of different handlers, but only one master before him, I later found myself digging through the archives of Soul Society by using a server that acts like an underground tunnel for my computer to gain access into their mainframe. The Gotei 13 and the Research Division have not discovered it yet._

_Anyways, after scouring through the entire database, I couldn't find one soul reaper with a zanpakutou named 'Dragira' anywhere in the last 5,000 years, and that's before the establishment of the Shinigami Academy. The 3,000 years before that have been just eye-witness accounts or stories of who had what zanpakutou, none being exactly credible. Is it possible that Dragira is even older then that? She'd be well older then most of the Soul Society's captains. The only person who might have an inkling of knowledge would be Head Captain Yamamoto. If circumstances allowed, I would have already questioned him about the zanpakutou, but ever since we were set up to look like traitors by Aizen, along with our more current predicament between Malik and Soul Society, that quest would be impossible._

_Now, back to Malik. The young man I had agreed to train via favor by Toicha has turned out to be quite something else. Ever since awakening Dragira, his spiritual pressure has steadily increased with no signs of slowing down, yet somehow he's able to contain it in his body. This is most likely a result of his zanpakutous helping out. And it's constantly fluctuating, like a wild storm, and its feel is becoming more toxic with each breath. I have deduced this to be a side-effect of his negative emotions pouring into his reiatsu. While the definite rise in spiritual pressure is note-worthy, the biggest mystery has become Malik himself. _

_He has told us about his 'soul-bond', an event that I've only known to have happened less then five times in the past 500 years. It's a very rare occurrence where a foreign zanpakutou spirit will attempt to become one with a soul reaper. This fusion will include the merging of just their powers and mindscapes. But, this is not the case with Malik. From what he's told me, he and Dragira somehow went beyond that and nearly fused their very beings. _

_His body has undergone a complete transformation on the inside and spiritually. It's fascinating. When I performed several tests on him, I was speechless by my discoveries. The most obvious difference was his skin. It'd turned a shade of red, like a sun-burn, yet it has developed a harden layer of spiritual pressure underneath it in the form of spiritually condensed armor plates. On second thought, 'scales' would be the more appropriate term._

_Along with the skin, his body has built up more muscle overnight then a human would in a year. His metabolism has become 15x the average amount for a human. The only area where any lipids now reside is on his glut.-maximus. Another thing I noticed was when some of my utensils were red hot after emerging from his body. I checked his body temperature and it was at an astonishing 168degrees Fahrenheit! Of course, he had no clue of this, nor did he feel like he was burning up. _

_His skeletal structure has changed a little bit as well. The bones have been naturally reinforced with a great deal of condensed reishi, making them almost unbreakable by conventional methods. It would take a massive blow from someone with twice the average captain's level of strength to go as far as put a dent in it. Along with the skeletal changes, his teeth have become more carnivorous. All of his molers have become pointed and sharp. When I tested the strength of his bite, its power increase was as expected, though maybe more then I first anticipated. His biting force alone came in at 235lbs per tooth! With that, he could easily chew a piece of iron like bubble gum if he wanted to._

_Putting his skeletal anomalies aside, I'd went on to test his hearing and eyesight. For hearing, he could hear my footsteps clear across the training area, which would put his hearing on par with Yoruichi's. She seemed a little peeved about that. As for his sight, he could read the letters off of a yen note three hundred yards away. But what was most surprising was his increase in vision in the presence of low light. He said that our bodies had some kind of outline of light around them. Could he be describing some form of predator vision, like heat? If so, Yoruichi commented that he'd make an excellent assassin._

_Thinking back, I wonder how this all could've occurred by a simple overstep in the soul-bond process. I can deduce that these certain developments are because of the nature of Dragira's being. Goodness, I'm getting goose-bumps just thinking about what it might've been like for him. Malik told me there were several factors that allowed him to harness Dragira without being disintegrated molecule by molecule by the sheer overflow of power, but he couldn't divulge that much information. Understandable, but damnable. He knows I've found such a devout interest in all of this, but he knowingly teases me._

_The pain from his teasing could only compare to Yoruichi's teases in the past. Speaking of Yoruichi, she has taken a great deal of joy during their training sessions. Perhaps she is joyful to have found someone who could prove to be of some fun for her. Though Malik's speed has increased five-fold, when Yoruichi puts some effort into it, she'll leave him in the dust. _

_During our sparring, he is proving to be a much tougher opponent then before, even when I release Benihime, and even with the reiatsu-limiter vest I developed. With his eye-sight, he claims that he can tell what move I'll make by reading the movement of my muscles, though with most of my body covered by my coat, quick and erratic movements seem to slip past his muscle reading abilities._

_As like with his hakudo, hoho, and zanjutsu, Malik's skill with kido has increased at a faster pace in the past weeks. This is most likely the result of him having a massive storage of reiatsu to use as he please. He was able to dominate Soifon a month ago because of her limiter cutting her reiatsu to a fifth of its best, and Malik is now aware of this. He wouldn't have done so excellently if they were fighting in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. _

_However, I believe he can now hold his own against a Soul Society captain if he fought them on their home-field. Kami knows, he's been training like a maniac for the past two weeks since he discovered Soifon's disadvantage. This is also most likely the reason for his lethal reiatsu. Anybody under a low captain class opponent will have difficulty fighting near or against him whenever his power fluctuates like this._

_Hopefully, it won't come down to that, but knowing the current Central 46, they will assume Malik is a menace-an abomination-and must be destroyed. And knowing Yamamoto, the old man will obey their commands like a loyal dog. I can't help but sense dark days ahead of us. I wish there was some way out of this, but if it comes down to it, I'm prepared to do anything I must to keep us safe. I have a plan that can do this while also help in Aizen's downfall. _

_I can feel his evil intent all the way from here, like an animal knowing when a natural disaster is about to occur. Tessai and Yoruichi feel it too. Aizen, whatever he's planning, is growing more powerful and getting closer to enacting whatever plot he has. Like I said, I have a plan. Only question is...will Malik be able to pull it off. And of course, I still have to stop procrastinating and bring him up to date on the deceiving captain._

_In the mean time, I hope to find out more about this Dragira, and will continue researching her and keeping track of Malik's progress._

_Log#13543_

_Kisuke Urahara _

The blond, shaggy haired scientist closed the page on his computer that acted as his electronic journal and leaned back into his chair. His mind was racing with all of these discoveries going on, and at the same time that he was working on his S.R.A.V. (**Initials whose meanings I'm not at liberty to discuss or disclose**). He glanced over at the machine which was sitting atop several needle-thin stands. The device itself looked like a carburetor that was assembled halfway.

If Malik is going to survive Soul Society, while taking away their greatest weapon, and be able to stop Aizen's Hogyoku whenever the traitor decides to make his move, then this invention will have to work perfectly, or it could destroy the boy...possibly even the Sereitei.

However, can he even convince Malik to undergo such an insanely suicidal and ludicrous task? Yoruichi and Tessai won't be too happy about it, he's sure, but if Malik keeps showing this rate of growth, he's sure he can convince everyone of his plan's feasibility.

"They'll just have to trust me on this one. They'll see," he said to himself as he began working on his S.R.A.V. again.

* * *

><p>However, Malik was currently away from the compound. The monotony of the training grounds was having detrimental effects on him, so he sought some place different. With Yoruichi as his supervisor, they went back to the ocean front land where he had long ago asked to visit again.<p>

He had found the peaceful lapping of the sea waves and the squawks of the seagulls much more relaxing. While Yoruichi figured he had wanted to rest here to remain in peace and not be constantly surrounded by training, she was both right and wrong. Right, that he wanted to find someplace peaceful, but wrong about his intentions.

After explaining that he was going to go into his inner world and try to finally defeat his zanpakutou to learn a new technique, she sighed but wished him good luck. She gave him a sweet, tender kiss on his lips which he gladly accepted before sitting cross-legged and stabbing both his zanpakutous into the ground by each of his knees.

With a couple of deep breaths, he felt the all-too familiar falling sensation into his beautiful inner-world. He fell through the red and orange mixture of clouds, bringing the whole forest world into view. Instead of crashing into the branch of the 'Great Tree' like he did when he first arrived here, he brought his feet underneath him and expertly performed a soft landing onto his and Gabriel's 'spot'.

The zanpakutou spirit was there seemingly waiting for him, but was lying on a slightly higher branch looking up at the clouds. His black hair fell over one side of his face and he let out a deep breath.

"**You came back sooner then I thought. I take it you've finally got the strength to beat me."** He took a couple of seconds in silence to feel the air around them. "**Yes, I can feel it. I've noticed it in myself as well."**

He sits up on the branch, legs dangling off, and instead of a creepy smile, this smile seemed genuine. "**You've gotten so much stronger these past weeks. You've been working your ass off. And the side-benefits of having Yoruichi as your teacher aren't bad either." **

He gave a smirk and chuckled darkly at the blush that lit Malik's face. "Shut up, you nosy perv. Stay out of my love life."

Gabriel's brows rose slightly. "**Ohh, it's a _'love'_ life, is it?"**

Malik realized his mis-grammar and started stuttering as he tried to correct himself. "Th-that's NOT what I meant and you know it!"

Gabriel chuckled abit more and hopped off the branch onto their 'spot'. "**Whatever..as long as it doesn't storm. Now, don't think that just because you've gotten stronger means that I've gotten weaker. I haven't been sleeping all this time or anything."**

Gabriel slipped his fancy coat off and hung it on a small, protruding branch. He stepped forward and held out his hand, his long zanpakutou materializing from thin air into it. Malik followed suit and materialized his own Gabriel zanpakutou. "**We will take this to the same ruins. Come."**

He levitated up and shot off like a rocket to one of the nearby ruins half covered by the forest. Malik followed in hot pursuit, knowing why they were going to the ruins, the same one he's been getting his butt kicked at.

He looked around the field and saw atleast eleven more ruins. Gabriel told him that each one of these ruins held within it a new ability of his zanpakutou. They acted like conduits to his true power. For him to grow stronger, he'd have to 'activate' each one. He'd explained that he'd be working for the bankai on the eighth one. The ninth through twelfth ones weren't mentioned for some reason.

The ruins looked like they were made of stone on the outside, but on the inside, there were pieces of machinery within the rock walls of the structure, giving contradiction to their ancient roots.

As they walked inside of the temple, which was about the size of the training ground at the compound, the passageways were dusty with cobwebs, yet the machinery around them emitted bright blue lights that gave it an alien-like setting. The building was a perfect mixture of old and new age.

When they reached the main chamber's door, both Malik and Gabriel stabbed their zanpakutous into two holes in the door. They emitted their spiritual pressure and blue lines started spider-webbing their way across the surface of the door and the sound of metal grinding against metal filled their ears. Slowly, after they withdrew their blades, the door began opening to grant them passage into the main chamber.

Inside, the room was massive. All along the walls, there were depictions carved that resembled Gabriel holding his sword while the other two were suspended around him by some invisible force. That mysterious force was exactly what Malik has been attempting to seize.

The duo made their way into the center of the room where a octagon pedestal sat. On the top of it was another hole big enough for a sword to fit in. Gabriel hopped onto the pedestal and stabbed his sword into it.

Suddenly the room became dark as the light seemed to all be drained into the blue hues of the scattered pieces of visible machinery. In the dark, only the blue lines of the machines were visible until a new set of blue lights flew from the pedestal. Illuminated for a few moments, Malik saw Gabriel's body shaking slightly from some kind of strain. As the light receded, so did the original light of the room return.

Gabriel's veins were now glowing a neon blue, but that was the only difference physically. In spiritual pressure wise, his power seemed to have gone up by an average lieutenant's level.

Not wanting to beat around the bush, they both spoke at once. **"Ye who seek power**, come unto me, and I shall give thee despair. **Come forth from the shadows and cut down those who dare challenge us**, ye angel of destruction; **Gabriel Celesti!"**

The combined spiritual pressure of the two shattered the ruins' walls around them, widening their room by about twenty inches. This feat wasn't possible before, but Malik and Gabriel have both grown in strength since the last time they fought. While their shikais were the same, blue tentacles of light sprouted from Gabriel's mid-back and grabbed the two smaller zanpakutous on his back by their handles.

With a simple thought command from Gabriel, the blue appendages unsheathed the blades and brought them to bear by him. This was the power that Malik had been trying to obtain but has been unable to defeat. The ability to mentally command your spiritual pressure to wield your remaining two swords to simultaneously fight with all three.

"**Are you ready? I hope so."** Gabriel charged forward with both hands on his longest blade's hilt, the blade's length running low to the ground behind him. Malik sprinted forth as well, his own blade in hand, and met the attack head-on.

The two's attacks meeting caused a tremor to shake the ruins to its very foundations. Both of the spiritually powerful beings have gained tremendous strength. The Malik now would have been able to wipe the floor with the Malik from a month ago. The same thing went for Gabriel. Since they shared a synergistic union with each other, they've both experienced the same power increase.

Malik's arm muscles bulged against the strength of his opponent's slightly smaller arms. As expected by anyone, Gabriel began attacking Malik from both sides with the two other swords, but he jumped back with shunpo to avoid being skewered by the two blades. The bonds that connected the three (Gabriel and two swords) together had a maximum length of about five feet, he was safe from any melee attacks as long as it stayed out of its reach.

Gabriel leaned forward, squatting, then exploded with a push of his legs towards his master, bringing all three swords upon him. Lifting his sword up, Malik was able to block all three blades. He took the opening and strained to hold the attack back with one arm while he sent a hard uppercut with his other straight into the diaphragm of Gabriel.

The blow and sheer force of the attack knocked much of the wind out of the zanpakutou spirit, as well as send him flying almost halfway to the ceiling. He did a couple of slow back-flips through the air before steadying himself. With a few deep gasps, he recovered from the blow quickly and smirked.

**"That punch didn't suck...much."**

He charged back down and the two met in midair. The force was like two trains smashing head-on as both beings' arms quivered from the force. Both looked at their hands when they noticed a wet feeling between their fingers. Their last attack was so powerful that just holding onto the swords made their hands bleed, though Malik's wasn't as bad as Gabriel's because of his toughened skin.

"**That change you underwent has made some improvements to you. You're not as fragile as before**," Gabriel mocked.

Malik grunted and threw the spirit backwards through the air and gave chase. Gabriel righted himself and readied his blocking maneuver, but Malik escaped his senses with shunpo. The momentary loss of his target proved almost fatal for the spirit.

Sensing his master, he maneuvered his two other blades to parry the incoming attack from behind. The resounding clang of steel against steel ran loud in their ears. Gabriel turned around and his eyes widened as Malik hadn't swung the longer sword at him, but the two smaller ones, and what was worse was that those two blades were emitting a mass of blue energy.

'**How did he amass such energy so quickly?' **Gabriel thought as his vision became blinded by the bright light that was their 'Beam of Judgement.'

The massive 30ft wide beam covered Gabriel's form and kept going to cause a massive explosion on the ground. Malik didn't let up on the power of his attack, wanting to try to win it quickly. However, his nose caught Gabriel's scent and he looked up to see a smoking Gabriel soaring down at him.

Malik brought his beam up to try to thwart the counterattack but the spirit flew around the beam, coming closer to his target. In a split-second, Malik felt the familiar yet horrible sensation of a blade slicing his midsection down diagonally. If he hadn't moved at the last moment, he'd been cleaved in two.

As his beam cancelled, he barely had enough time to block the next series of blows from Gabriel who was now capitalizing on his master's lapse in strength. Blow after blow, dozens upon dozens of swings and thrusts were aimed at ending Malik's life and the boy was holding on by a leaf. The blood flowed constantly from his torso with no signs of stopping.

Malik was jumping left and right, clutching his wound as he dodged the lightning quick attacks from all three blades of Gabriel Celesti. Gabriel came in close and the two locked blades again.

'I have to end this quick...or I'll pass out from blood loss. I can't quit now. I've worked so hard for this power and I'm not about to let it all end here.' He motivated himself to ignore the blood and build up his spiritual pressure as high as he could go.

Gabriel readied himself as he sensed his master building his power levels up. "**What are you up to now? Trying to build your power for one last desperate attack? It's hopeless, Malik. No matter how strong you become, I'll always be stronger." **

The spirit's words seemed to have had the effect of gasoline mixed with fertilizer and lit on fire. Malik's spiritual pressure exploded upwards, causing Gabriel's smirk to grow. Not being much of the waiting type, he flew down upon his master with the intentions to kill him.

The boy looked up and brought up both of the smaller swords to block the triple attack. He succeeded in holding strong against it but instead of holding his ground, he went with the pressure, causing Gabriel to lose his balance in the air and fall forward. Malik did a front flip and came over with Gabriel's back exposed and stabbed him clean through both shoulders.

He rocketed towards the ground, spirit still impaled, and slammed Gabriel down, causing a massive crater to scar the room. When the smoke cleared, Gabriel layed face down in the dirt, pinned to the ground by both of the smaller swords. Malik brought his larger blade up and stabbed downwards, piercing Gabriel's heart.

After a couple of seconds of gasping for breath and silence, Malik fell to one knee. "Gotcha...ya sunavabitch."

**"Yes. You got me, Malik,"** Gabriel spoke as his head turned to see his master. **"You've**** rightfully earned this new power. Congratulations. But be warned: You won't be able to win all of your powers with a simple sword fight. This may be the last power you get from using sheer force."**

"Man, you still aint dead," Malik whined. "Whatever. I'll be glad I won't be able to get the rest of my powers by fighting. While I enjoy the fights afterwards, they're becoming quite cliche. You know what I mean?"

Gabriel began chuckling. "**Yes, I can understand. However, you will now be able to access this power once you leave here. After you release, just chant 'Angel of Destruction, I offer you my swords so that you may quench your thirst for battle.' The rest is just using your mind to control the movements. Practice it well, Malik. If you ever need some advice, you can always come and find me." **

Malik nodded and remained silent for a while. "Gabriel, you talk too much."

**"Hahahhahaahaha... you bastard child."** That comment stung Malik more then Gabriel expected, proof of it when Malik got up and exited the temple.

Gabriel watched him disappear from his view and attempted to stand up, but he found that he was still pinned to the ground by the swords. "**Okay, I asked for that one."**

Just as Malik exited the temple, a voice spoke to his right. "**_Pretty mean comment back there. He didn't mean it, you know? He's just being...Gabriel."_ **He looked up and saw Dragira laid back on one of the doors that opened outward from the temple.

"Yeah, but it doesn't change the fact that he said it," Malik argued.

_**"No, it doesn't. But leaving him stuck to the ground like a bug was a pretty funny**_** sight."** In an instant, she had disappeared from her lounging spot and came up right behind him, her arms wrapping themselves around his body.

She silently appreciated the few changes that overtook his body, from the muscle to the similar physical appearance as herself. She brought one of her hands up and bit it till it drew blood. Keeping Malik from squirming, she rubbed the blood-soaked hand along his large wound, trailing her hand from his right pectoral slowly down to the left side of his waistline.

Instantly, the wound stopped bleeding and closed. "_**Much better, darling. What was with the squirming? You'd think you'd have gotten use to me by now. Perhaps I need to step it up a notch."**_

Malik blushed at what she was insinuating. "Ughh...have you been drinking, Dragira?"

The dragoness laughed but kept her embrace on him like iron. "**_I don't need to be drunk to see how_**-" she moves in close to his ear "-**_desirable you are."_**

She got the reaction she was looking for when he started fidgeting like crazy and she started laughing her tail off. She let him go, giving him the chance to jump away about ten feet. His face was almost purple from blushing.

"Jeez, first Yoruichi, now you. Who's next?"

She stopped her laughing and put on her regular, cheerful face. "_**Come now. Am I really as bad as Yoruichi? I mean, you haven't even seen me naked."**_

His blush returned as he retorted, "Yeah, but still...even though you have that hide covering your parts, it leaves nothing to the imagination!"

"_**Aw, Malik, you're such a perv and you don't even realize it**_," she mocked.

After picking with him for a few more minutes, she changed the subject to a more serious tone. "**_So..I can feel that you've gotten much stronger. You're really growing strong with Gabriel. I think I should be jealous._**"

The slight widening of his eyes reassured her that he obviously wasn't aware of how much more time he was spending with Gabriel then with her, and they gave a clear view of the concern that he held for her feelings. That was something she really appreciated. It'd easily break her heart if he ended up taking her gift for granted.

Malik was surprised by the new direction their conversation had turned. Now that she mentioned it, he really hadn't spent that much time with Dragira. Heck, the last time he had talked to her like this was almost two weeks ago. He'd been so focused on training with Yoruichi, Tessai, and Urahara, and trying to beat Gabriel, that he'd had little time for her.

Though she didn't mean to purposefully make him feel terrible, she was relieved to see the turmoil in his soul; to feel the chaos inside. It meant that even though she was being playful, he took her seriously.

"I'm...really sorry about that, Dragira. I promise I'll make it up to you. We can start now, if you'd want?" he offered. She gave him a sweet grin, showing off her sharp, dragon teeth.

"_**I'd love that very much, Malik darling**_."

He sweat-dropped at the nickname. "Uh, why are you calling me 'darling?'"

"**_Well, it's preferable over 'child', like I use to call you, isn't it?_**" she asked. He nodded, so that ended that question. "_**So, since you offered to take care of a lady, what did you have in mind, darling?**_"

In truth, he wasn't ever really good with entertaining the opposite sex, and Dragira now knew this because he just thought about it. She giggled and slyly stepped up to him.

"**_Don't think too hard about it. Relaxing and talking is just fine with me. Let's find some place else. This area is too serene for my tastes_**." She grabbed him by his waist and blasted off like a rocket towards the 'Gate'.

What had taken him and Gabriel a minute to travel took her about ten seconds. Malik's face was being blown back from the speed, causing the skin to flap furiously along his face and his eyes to water. 'Such speed!'

Instead of the slow entrance into her half of his inner-world that he was use to, she flew straight through it with no signs of slowing down. In something similar to a flash step, she entered her place, which was violent and chaotic as usual. She sat on what seemed like then air and propped him down by her side, tail wrapped securely around his waist.

She didn't do more then that, save for lying onto her back. Malik couldn't help but sneak a scan over her voluptuous form that was outlined by her scaly skin. "_**It's not nice to stare, darling,**_" she quipped, causing him to pop himself upside the head in embarrassment.

She chuckled and removed his hand from his face. "_**It's alright. If I didn't think it was fine for you to gaze over me, then I would've ripped out your and Gabriel's eyes the first time I showed myself."** _

Malik paled slightly because he remembered what she had said about the power difference between her and Gabriel; her strength octupled his, which meant that if he were to get on her bad side, it'd be like fighting eight Gabriels, but since she's a woman, then that number would triple, because hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. So it'd be like fighting 24 Gabriels!

Dragira started laughing some more as Malik's thought process continued to produce very entertaining thoughts for her. He mentally cursed his luck to have Dragira being able to read his every thought as if they were her own.

"**_But I do appreciate the attention, Malik-kun. What woman wouldn't,_**" she purred. "_**It's good to know that even after several thousand years, I can still turn the heads of a young man. Well, the only one that matters."**_

Missing that last part, Malik rolled his eyes but received a light tap on the head from her tail. 'Dammit..' he griped. "As if that was ever a concern for you. Besides, you had one hell of a beauty sleep."

Dragira was slightly annoyed that he'd missed her meaning. Seeing him with Yoruichi stirred a feeling in her. She liked Malik; that was an understatement, but were her feelings something deeper? Being able to hear all of his thoughts and know everything about him has proven to be a limitless source of amusement, as well as know how he thought about things and people, but was it starting to have that much of an effect on her?

"Hey, am I ever going to learn any new techniques from you?" he asked.

She stared over at him almost lazily. "_**My, have you already gotten bored of my first two techniques?**_"

He shook his head. "No, it's just that you know so much about me, yet I know so little of you. It's kinda not fair."

She exhaled deeply, sending up a little puff of fire. "**_I suppose that telling you more about me would be fair, but what else is there to tell you?_**"

Malik shrugged, trying to think of something. "I don't know..what's your favorite color?"

"_**Hahahahaha,"** _she laughed at the simple, almost stupid, question. "**_It's blue."_**

O.o- "Really? I thought it was red."

She nodded. "**_While I love the color of red to death, I love blue just as much because the two just go so well together_**," she answered with a smile. "**_I love the way the two are almost opposite, yet when they mix, they can make something very beautiful_**."

"Well, that was something nice. Okay, when's your birthday?" he asked.

"**_Hahaha...stop it, Malik. You're not even taking this seriously, are you?_**" she asked. He faked a look of shock.

"How could you say such a thing? Of course I'm taking this seriously. This is a conversation of the utmost importance," he said in a very overly dignified voice that bordered on the line of sarcasm.

She chuckled to the behavior and pulled him closer to her, wrapping an arm around his shorter frame. She let her hand brush through his brown locks of hair as she enjoyed their time together. Malik would've nudged away but there was just something about Dragira that made him as obedient as a puppy. It was fear of her power, but more of other things as well.

Like before, the smoothness of her hands and skin were indescribable and he just wanted to sleep against her. Her body was just warm enough to make him not uncomfortable, but relaxed, like a child's favorite blanket did as he/she slept on the couch.

Dragira let out a contented sigh as she felt these emotions coming from his mind and heart. She closed her eyes and remained lying, petting Malik's hair. The boy had unknowingly dozed off and was now sound asleep against her. His fatigue and wounds from his battle with Gabriel have finally caught up to him.

She didn't dare wake him up now, and she also didn't mind letting Yoruichi wait a little bit longer outside. Coiling her tail around his legs like a snake, she went to sleep as well, her golden-yellow eyes full of sleepiness as they disappeared by the lids.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I know, what the hell? This chapter was short. Well, it would've been alot longer, but like I said, most of the stuff got deleted and I just couldn't get the hang of writing all those words again. From now on, I'll probably post more shorter chapters like these to keep my updating consistent for you all and to make these personal scenes seem more important. I'll most likely do more scenes like Urahara's journal, and NO, I can't reveal what he's working on yet. Sorry! But you're free to guess it! So, what did you all think? I enjoy making those fluffy scenes b/w Malik and Dragira cuz I love her character too much. Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	17. Accepting

A Child's Journey

Chapter 'whatever'

**AN: Thank you, everyone, who reviewed and read my last update. I'm happy to know that my story has been favorited and alerted by so many people. I've also noticed some new faces in the review pages. That's fantastic. I'm excited by the fact that new people, or people who have just kept quiet over the months, are starting to show their faces. I encourage that. PLEASE, shower me with your reviews!  
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**...I know, that was pretty cheesy. Hey, like Papa Chester, it aint easy bein' cheesy. Did I really just say that? Why, yes I totally did.  
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**Anyway, let's get on with the next chapter. This one will focus mainly in Hueco Mundo. It will start back to when Apache and Fran went to bed after the latter's first day in Las Noches, then it will go to Yoruichi and Malik scene. Please ignore what I had just written after this part if you're rereading this.  
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**I don't own BLeach, Tite Kubo does. Enjoy.**

**P.S. I'm commencing Rule #82 of the 100 Rules of Anime.**

* * *

><p><em>Back after Fran and Apache went to sleep<em>

The girls' morning was just starting like any other morning. The only difference is that they now had a new member to show the ropes to. However, at the moment, they were all still asleep. For some reason, they all felt like sleeping in late.

Well, when you lived in Las Noches, that was one of the few things to do that would pass the time. That, or fight, or eat (i.e. Yammy). Besides, none of the girls minded the extra bit of sleep, and any poor soul that dared to wake up a group of sleeping women would know unimaginable wrath.

In Apache's room where said girl and her newest bed mate, Fran, were sleeping, they looked very peaceful. Fran was sleeping soundly with Apache close by and not in a death hug by the stronger arrancar. While they were still embraced and not hurting one another, the position was too comfortable to get rid of. The room was silent and peaceful. Over to the side, they got an unexpected visitor.

Halibel silently walked over and sat at the edge of the bed on Apache's side. The sight of the two cuddled up brought back memories of when her fraccion would stay warm by sleeping against one another, or perhaps it was for the comfortable sense of safety. Like a mother, Halibel found her hand gently raking through Apache's blue hair, eliciting a contented sigh from the deer arrancar.

She noted her newest fraccion, Fran, breathing in deep and slow as she dreamed.

'Apache still argues with Mila-Rose and Sun-Sun alot, yet you've already broken past those defenses of hers in one day.'

Halibel sighed softly, knowing that she had to tell some possibly hard news to the new arrancar. How many arrancars like to hear that they underwent shinigamification for the sole purpose of luring a human boy with shinigami powers over to their side? None, that's how many.

'I'm prepared to tell her. Better now then after she figures out.'

She quietly stretched her hand over to nudge Fran awake, but she was met with opened crimson eyes before she could make contact.

"Halibel-sama," Fran greeted in a low voice so as to not wake Apache. She gently raked her fingers through the girl's hair to coax her to continue dreaming. This consideration brought a soft smile to the Primera's face.

"Hello, Fran. Did you sleep well?" The fraccion nodded happily.

"It was the best sleep I've ever had, Halibel-sama. What about you?" Her questions seemed more serious as she noticed an uncertain look in Halibel's eyes.

Halibel should've known that Fran would be able to see some of her apprehension, but she was beginning to think that there was nothing the fraccion couldn't spot.

"Well, it has to do with you, Fran. It's very personal and directly affects you, and I figured you would want to hear it instead of me telling the others at the same time."

Fran shook her head. "No, Halibel-sama, it's alright. I'm apart of your group, so anything about me can be shared with Mila-Rose, Apache, and Sung-Sun as well."

Halibel nodded. "If that is what you wish. The others are lounging in the living room, so we can start whenever you and Apache get ready."

Fran acknowledged and ruffled Apache's hair, causing the girl to stir and groan out complaints. "Nnnrrrggg...Fran, what the heck?" Apache asked through sleepy eye-lids.

"Wake up, Apache. Our mistress said she had some important news to tell us," the snow-white haired girl explained. Still grumbling, Apache rolled around and got out of the all-too comfy bed like a zombie. Fran giggled at the girl's outrageous bed hair, which looked like some half-done afro. Apache gave her the bird in return.

Fran crawled out of the comfortable bed and walked over to the dresser where Apache was trying to brush her hair back into place. She watched the blue-haired tomboy transform the wild bush into a trimmed hedge, metaphorically, of course.

"Does my hair need to be tamed as well?" she asked when Apache finished. The girl gave Fran's hair a glance and nodded.

"Yeah, some of the hair on the sides are sticking out and your ends are splitting," Apache noted as if she were some expert or barber. Just by reaction, Fran shook her head, causing her hair to sway around. "Geez, hold still, girl. I can't fix it if...you don't let...me.." her words stopped as Fran's hair seemingly fell back into perfect place, even the bang over her eye.

Apache stared dumbfounded at the event like it was some miracle. Her face went red with anger and self-loath. "It's not fair!" she cried and stormed out of the room, leaving Fran looking like a lost puppy.

'Okay, what was that about?' If only Fran knew that what she was able to do was something envied by all girls unfortunate enough to not be able to fix their hair with just a shake.

Outside in the living room, Mila-Rose and Sung-Sun were sitting side-by-side, though at arms' length. The area was named 'No Man's Land', like the area between opposing armies' trenches back in World War I, where nothing could live in due to all the artillery fire, machine gun nests, riflemen, and snipers that pounded it with lead. This was an unspoken rule for the three fraccion unless circumstances were very specific. One of these circumstances being watched by their mistress and mother-figure, Tia Halibel.

They were sleeping in their own rooms when their leader asked them to gather in the common room. Though curious, they followed her order with question. Soon, they were joined by their long time friend and fellow fraccion, Apache, though something seemed off. The girl seemed more frustrated then usual. Halibel noticed this as well.

"Is something wrong, Apache?"

Said girl huffed and clenched her fists by her sides as she plopped onto the sofa with the other two fraccion. "It's not fair," she mumbled. They would've asked her to clarify but the subject of Halibel's discussion walked into the room, looking impeccable and her clothes still on. She took her spot between Mila-Rose and Sung-Sun, dispelling any tension or thoughts of arguing between the two girls, as well as making Halibel wonder about her sanity.

'If she can pull a miracle off with Apache, then Mila-Rose and Sung-Sun should be no problem,' the Espada figured. When she saw everyone was finally settled, she began informing them of why they were here.

"I had planned on just telling this to Fran, but she insisted that I should let the rest of you know as well," Halibel began, drawing looks towards the girl in question who was just as curious as well. "Aizen-sama has informed me of some news regarding Fran. It turns out the reason he specifically sought you out, Fran, was because he wanted to use you as a bargaining chip to bring a supposedly powerfully warrior to our side."

The enraged words spoken by Apache, Mila-Rose, and a mumble from Sung-Sun should not be repeated, but let it be known that they now despise Aizen. The only one who didn't seemed enraged was Fran, but she was more confused then angry. "What good am I to this person?"

A very good question the other fraccion wanted to know. Halibel sighed before looking at Fran seriously. "What do you remember of your past life, Fran; your life as a human?" The question wasn't one anyone was expecting, yet for a brief moment, Fran's eyes widened as blurry images panned across her eyes.

"I'm...not sure. It's all just incomplete memories. Some are so short that I can't make anything of them."

Mila-Rose hesitantly raised her hand. "Yes, Mila-Rose?"

The tanned Amazon-like arrancar woman looked at Sung-Sun and Apache, seeing their nods, then looking back at Tia. "Halibel-sama, we heard Fran mumbling in her sleep a little while ago. At first, we thought she would say something embarrassing that we could use to mess with her."

Halibel sighed. 'My God, not even a day and they were already plotting against Fran. Am I blessed or cursed, Kami?' "Continue," she ordered.

Mila-Rose played with a fingers for a moment, not sure of what kind of impact or use her information would be. "Well, Fran was mumbling something about a Malik, and she sounded like she was in trouble. We figured it might have been something from her past."

When she finished explaining, they were all looking at their mistress with concern as she didn't move a muscle or respond. Halibel wasn't expecting this, yet it only proved wrong her doubts about Aizen's claims. She gained a disappointed look in her eyes that none could see.

"Then it's true.." she mumbled, the only one catching it being Fran. "Fran, according to Aizen's information, when you were still human, you were the girlfriend of a young man named Malik." She didn't stop there, even from the astonished and aghast look from her fraccion. "From what we know, you were killed by shinigami, but it might have been a hollow. Either way, this Malik apparently had great spiritual powers as he defeated a shinigami captain who he found at the scene of your death. Aizen sensed great potential in him and hopes to use his anger towards Soul Society and the fact that you're with us to convince him to join our ranks."

When she finished, the room was uncomfortably quiet; not even the 'Tres Beastias', as Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sung-Sun were nicknamed, made any noise. They all were waiting to see Fran's reaction to all of this news. They figured she was either going to explode in rage but was just building up to that pressure, or she would simply deny it. It was neither.

"Very well," she finally said, "I'll go along with Aizen's plan." No one offered an argument. How could they? What could they even say, and what would they use to justify their arguments? They kept their questions to themselves as Fran seemed ready to explain herself.

"Since I can remember being a hollow, I've had my zanpakutou's voice talking to me, guiding me in the direction to something, maybe someone. I didn't know alot, but she assured me that this objective was more important then anything to us, so I followed along. I do remember Malik's name...in my dreams, I remember calling out that name, but all I remember from that dream is pain and fear. If Aizen wants me to be reunited with this person, whoever he was to me in my past life, then it's the least I can do for being given my new life..." she fell silent, her face betraying no emotion yet the tone in which she spoke said she was greatly confused and didn't know how she should react.

Everyone was silent after the explanation. It certainly explained more then what they knew, and it made sense.

"Is that truly what you've decided?" Halibel asked once more only for Fran to nod her head vigorously, the girl still not knowing what else to say. The Primera accepted it. "Very well then. It is your decision, yet you still have us for support, Fran dear. From what Aizen-sama has told us, he's using his connections in the Soul Society to try to locate Malik's position. The man is somewhere on or off the east coast of Japan. It may be days or weeks before he's found so you can relax for now."

Fran gave a small nod that she understands and excused herself, walking out of 'walking' out of the small-sized palace that the Primera was given, ignoring the calls of her friends. How else was she suppose to react, that she was recruited just to be used as a bargaining chip? She just wanted a little bit of time to herself. She wasn't going to be all emo over something so out of her control; this situation being just that since she's made some friends who'll surely cherish her till the end of time, so it's not all bad.

_end flashback_

That had been an unnerving moment for Fran if she were to be completely honest with herself. Of course, she felt it necessary to not bother everyone with her own insecurity. Honestly, she could've seen something like this coming, though so soon was what surprised her. She knew, courtesy to _Reina Cheetah, _that she had some destiny and that she could find it with these Espada and Aizen, but she didn't think it'd be that easy!

She did like she'd said, taking a walk throughout the desert of Las Noches. While she had cast the illusion that she was brooding, she was actually going over everything she knew, as well as setting her priorities. It was obvious that she only came this far because of her desire to be with Malik, her boyfriend-turned-superhuman, thanks to no small part to the guidance from her zanpakutou. Her zanpakutou being her instincts, it's no surprise that it wouldn't forget its attachment to Malik, even after death and being resurrected as a lost spirit.

Such was her desire, no..her _need _for Malik. To be reunited with him was her main goal. Now, on to the next ones.

Aizen.

He'd sent his Espada out to bring her in, gave her a humanoid body again, as well as her current power-up, and not only promised but has been in the works of bringing her and Malik together; all of this in exchange for her aid in some war with Soul Society in the distant future. She could deal with that.

That was another priority.

She couldn't exactly remember what happened before she died, but the first thing she remembered when she became a hollow was some short, flat-chested, shinigami bitch and her fat-ass partner trying to kill her. Fran didn't like that. Not one bit. Even if Halibel-sama told her about Malik beating that woman's skinny ass, it wasn't going to save said woman from this cheetah's claws.

Subconsciously, she clenched her fists and static sparked from the blade on both her forearm mounts.

Than, there was her pseudo family, Halibel-sama, Apache-chan, Mila-Rose-chan, and Sung-Sun-chan. Those four were to be her mistress and teammates for the foreseeable future. She greatly respected the Primera, due to her strength and the way she carried herself amongst the rest of the Espadas, gender having surprisingly little to do with it. She even felt a sisterly comradeship with the '_Tres Beastias_', which was the nickname they'd apparently earned themselves before her own arrival.

Yeah, her blessings definitely outweigh her obligations to Aizen. She now had a clear path laid out in front of her and all she had to do was stick to it.

_'Just you wait, Malik. I'll find you, than I'll discover who I was and we'll be together again, and no one will get in my way.'_

* * *

><p><em>(3 months later)<em>

The skies over the eastern coast of Japan were clouding with a forecast for some rain. The clouds were beginning to form into large cumulonimbus-the clouds that precede thunderstorms.

Yoruichi suddenly sneezed, wondering if someone was talking about her. The slight shiver up her spine didn't help her thoughts.

She looked up and silently watched those clouds, her hair getting thrown around by the strong gales ever minute or so. It's been two hours since Malik had started jinzen and entered his inner world. She'd noticed that he must've been battling Gabriel as numerous vicious-looking lacerations appeared on Malik's body. Yoruichi did her best to fix them up, but to her relief, they healed completely about five minutes later, leaving just thin, pink scars that stuck out from the scale pattern of his skin. Once that had passed and no more wounds appeared, she figured he must've finished fighting, though whether he won or not was up for grabs.

Deciding to get some rest, she sat in the gap of Malik's legs and leaned back onto his body and closed her eyes. His large spiritual pressure was very warm and beckoned her to envelope herself in it like it was a blanket to be used for such things. Though she couldn't exactly do that, the feeling was still nice, nonetheless.

However, like all good things, her nap came to an end. She was awaken by Malik yawning and stretching his arms. She looked up over her shoulder and gazed into his sleepy eyes.

'Wait-sleepy?' Sure enough, Malik rubbed the sleep out of his eyes like any person does. "How long were you sleeping, Malik-kun?" she voiced her question. He licked and smacked his lips a couple of times and his arms slowly wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her further into his body. She blushed a little but gave the young man a soft smile and a seductive purr for his action.

"Just after a beautiful minx snuggled up to me," he remark with a smile. A little pink dusted her cheeks from the nickname but she gave him a content smile followed by a deep kiss. He reciprocated the action and the two sat there on the beach softly wrestling each other's tongue for a few minutes before breaking apart. Their eyes never broke contact, content to just watch the emotions they felt for each other swim around in their eyes. They eventually broke that when he tightened his embrace around her toned waist and she resigned to lying her head back onto his chest.

"So, how did you battle go?" she questioned with honest curiosity. It wasn't often that she'd see him receiving so many wounds since his scaled skin made it a chore for any weapon or attack to break through. From all of the scars he was getting, she was starting to get the itch to fight his zanpakutou too.

"While it was a fight for my life, it was more using my brains instead of fighting skills this time. He pretty much set me on a big-ass, 3-D shogi board where every move I made would either be the right move or get a very painful 'penalty' if I made the wrong move. I had to beat him by making the correct sequence that would simulate a victory. Took me dozens of tries but I eventually won once," Malik replied with some excitement.

Yoruichi gasped and grinned, smooching him again as a congratulatory prize. He'd been working on that latest challenge for a week, putting hours and hours of jinzen time every day. She was honestly starting to feel jealous of Gabriel. But, like the spirit had promised, not all challenges were just going to be fights. If Malik relied on brute strength instead of training his mind as well, he'd fall prey to any smarter, better prepared enemy.

"So, can I expect some new tricks in our future spars?" she asked with a teasing manner. "After all, not many people can keep me as excited like you do. I still haven't gotten totally use to you using all three of Gabriel's swords at once, like some Doctor Octopus-knock off."

Malik felt his chest swell up with some pride at the praise of his slave-driver of a teacher/lover, but felt it deflate when it was compared to something from a comic book, but...he really couldn't deny the little bit of truth in her claim. "Trust me, I'll have our future spars alot more exciting." He got a thoughtful expression. "Besides, you can contribute too if you'd actually use your zanpakutou. I can't imagine it liking you leaving it for so long."

Yoruichi's smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of hesitance and trepidation. For some reason, whenever Malik has asked her about it, she'd give a brief, nondescript comment before closing the matter entirely. He couldn't figure why that topic was so taboo for her, and by her expression now, he didn't imagine he'd get any more answers til she was ready.

"After what I've done to her, I don't deserve her, Malik-kun," came her eventual response. The different answer startled him but it gave him more insight onto her and her soul cutter's relationship. Seeing her defeated look, one that was completely out of place on someone like Yoruichi, he kissed her head than started gently raking his fingers through her long purple hair, causing her to purr from the contact.

"That's not true, Nekohime. Saying that is like saying a fish doesn't deserve water-it's just irrational. It's a part of your soul, so even though it may be upset, I'm positive that deep down, it wants you back just as much." She gave a small whine as her lover's words made more sense than she would have liked. She pressed herself harder into Malik as if she wanted their two bodies to simple meld together like water, Malik understanding the gesture and held her tighter to him. "I'll be there with you as much as possible. I'll be there before you go and when you come back. I'll never leave you."

She looked up over her shoulder to meet his gaze, holding it there for what seemed like an eternity within the span of a few seconds before turning into his body, capturing his lips as they fell backwards onto Malik's back, the sand crunching beneath their combined weight. She gave him all of the thanks that she was able through her kiss, tightening her hold on him while his arms wrapped around her waist to erase any space between their bodies, enough to where they could feel every detail of the other.

She broke the kiss after several long seconds, panting, eyes glazed over with absolute need and passion. "P-promise," she breathed out. "Promise you'll never leave me." What she didn't notice in her passion was a slight pain, or ache, in her mid-section.

"I promise," he answered immediately, once closing the distance between their lips.

_He had no idea what the future had in store for him, and just how much that promise would mean to the both of them._

They made out for several minutes til eventually hands started roaming, his gliding up and down her back, sides, legs, plump rear, and even her hair, while hers went from up and down his sides before sliding between them to stop on his could feel his arousal-no, his devotion to her and she wanted him to feel hers. She ripped a vertical tear in his hakama pants to free his girth, though she instantly captured it with her hands.

He gave a short hiss before growling in pleasure, wordlessly begging her to do the same. She was wearing a red, cotton skirt over her black Onmitsukido commander's top, so he just lifted it up with his hands while the real obstacle were those black panties separating them from joining their bodies and becoming one. His senses have all but been enhanced beyond super-human levels thanks to his completed merger with Dragira. He was already extremely close to finishing it by the time he had beaten and pinned Gabriel to the ground in their last serious fight, but now he was done.

His face had become sharper with his jawbones more angular. His rapid muscle growth had finished and his metabolism finally gained some sort of balance instead of draining him dry of energy that he'd to keep up by constantly eating. His skin was a dark reddish brown and his eyes were a topaz color like Yoruichi's, and his pupils were slitted like a reptile's. With his muscles done growing in relation to what he had been before the process, his overall bulk had actually shrunk from a few weeks ago, though as it was actually compacting it all into a slightly smaller but more agile frame.

His skeletal system finally finished as well, though all it did was become stronger; however, there were a few anomalies within his upper-back and the area at the base of his spine. It was like a concentration of unidentifiable mass that just sat there, not doing anything. Kisuke figure it was waiting on Malik's body to mature further; after all, he was only seventeen and the human male's body doesn't stop growing til twenty-five.

With his supped-up senses, he could smell an absolutely irresistible scent coming from Yoruichi. It was similar to when they first had sex, though comparing that to now was like a cup of water to a river. He could make sense of what it meant thanks to some tutoring from Dragira on learning to cope with the plethora of sensations on his enhanced senses. Yoruichi's body was giving off a pungent smell that was making his heart race; her temperature had risen by atleast two degrees and the smell was getting unbearably strong. To sum it up into one sentence...

Yoruichi was _ready_.

He was about to simply slip a finger into it and tear it off, but apparently she liked those panties as she halted his actions. She stood up to slide her panties down, slipping one leg out and kicking them off with the other. Immediately afterwards, she simply dropped onto him in a straddle position before falling forward to connect their lips again, all the while she grounded their lower bodies together like nobody's business. Malik could feel his man-meat split his lover's folds open as they slid up and down its length, coating the appendage in a fine layer of secretion, preparing it for the act soon to follow.

Yoruichi's breath soon became shorter during their kissing, forcing her to break away to slow it down. The deep breaths she inhaled resulted in the illusion of her D-cup breasts expanding against him due to the swelling of her chest each time. With one hand on her waist, the other slide up her side to her shoulders than to the strap around the back of her neck where he undid it. The action caused her shirt to fall down a bit, coming to a stop over the fruits of her heavenly bosom; he just pulled them on down to exposed the black-lace covered breasts of his lover.

He gave her left breast a gentle squeeze, getting her use to the shock of sensations that accompanied the shiver down her lower back. Unlike their first time where they more or less were just rutting like deer, after several more sessions where she tutored him, he eventually began to learn what she liked and didn't like. While there weren't many sexual activities between them that she didn't like, he learned that some actions that felt good to her could become so much more given the right application of it. He learned that when she was really in the mood, Yoruichi loved having her breasts fondled softly but lovingly, adding in brief pinches of her nipples to the sensations frequently, but not constantly to the point she'd become desensitize to the action before they even finished. A good simile would be that of an infant with sincere curiosity. The maternal feelings she got when she watched Malik explore every inch of her healthy breasts with child-like wonder was something she understandably loved.

"mmmmm...uuunnngggg...Malik, honey, just like that, baby," his lover preened. She loved their subsequently increasing moments of passion as each time Malik acted like he was discovering uncharted territory. This certainly made every time feel like the first time, which was something quite rare. He continued fondling the globe of soft flesh in his hand while his other sunk below her waistline, gliding smoothly over her butt to stop just when he met her thigh, than moving inwards to poke at the bottom of her womanhood. "Hhhnnn!"

He broke from their passionate lip lock to plant gentle kisses along her jaw line, at the junction of her jaw and neck, than moved to the nape where he gently bit into her, breaking the skin. Her eyes dilated before she began cradling his upper-body to her, purring and encouraging his action. She let out a brief moan as his bite went deeper into her flesh, where she than shuddered as he let up to lick the small wound. She lifted her upper body above him on her hands and gave a soundless order for him to remove her bra. Transfixed on the large, luscious tits, he reaches for the clasp in between her bosom and unhooks it, causing her twins to pop out before his eyes.

Gripping both of them by the nipples, he began pulling them with a slight twist, causing Yoruichi's body to shudder. She leaned forward to help Malik as he brought her chocolate-colored nubs to his mouth and began sucking them gently, softly rubbing them between his sharp teeth every now and than while she maneuvered her arms to cradle his head.

"That's a good boy, Malik-kun. Mommy likes that," she said, smiling lustfully down at him suckling her tits. She loved the fact he always wanted to please her before fulfilling his own desires. It showed that he had more than just lust for her. Of course, she returned a portion of the favor by massaging his rapidly growing erection with her lower body, both of their private areas completely soaked in her body's juices by now. She would allow him to please her body for a little bit more before she decided to skip to the main event. After all, the aches in her mid-section were getting worse and his foreplay was only making it worse.

Another ten minutes of his tending goes by much too fast for her liking, but she felt the both of them ad been patient enough. Normally she would pleasure his cock in return for his service to her own body, but she felt an extra bit of eagerness to skip ahead.

"Malik-koi," she whispered into his ear, getting him to stop suckling. He looked up at her with those reptilian eyes that he somehow made to look like those of an attentive child's. She idly thought he definitely would've made one helluva actor given the right motivation. She gently stroked his cheeks. "I'm ready now."

He didn't nod but went to framing her face as she lifted her hips up. She grabbed his hardened cock and lined up to her entrance, idly taking note of how it, unlike the rest of his body that had grown tough scaling patterns, remained relatively the same, though there was one major difference.

During some more in-depth tests on the biological changes in Malik's anatomy, one thing that both she and Malik were curious about was the changes his reproductive organs might undergo to balance out with his draconian spirit body. His semen producing organs seemed to always be active, yet all the sperm would be stored for future use, with newer sperm constantly circulating through his testes. This led Urahara to deduce that Dragira, as well as her species' females, most likely laid eggs, as well as believing that since his semen was stored and recirculated to keep the amount above a fixed level, that the females had outnumbered the males by a massive margin, causing the males to evolve to be able to fertilize as many eggs as possible with the fewest amount of males to get rid of competition and the possible chance of all the males killing themselves off fighting.

This would also mean that the mass majority of any offspring would be female with only a few males per generation to completely ensure the birth of a new generation. However, Malik being the only male known, it's likely he'll only be able to have one son. Unless, of course, he found and mated with several more draconian women, thus increasing the population as well as the need for more males. Of course, Urahara kept that last bit to himself to use for excellent prank material. That and Malik's penis had one certainly new feature.

This led to an embarrassing conversation with Dragira for Malik, that being that his penis' skin excreted a very thin layer of lubricating mucus through its pores, naturally normal for the males of her species, Dragira assumed since she never met a male like her, to help for easier penetration to make mating as effective as possible; the same being assumed for his apparent build-up of love juice.

Since than, Malik has referred to Dragira as Ero-Ryu, since half the changes his body has undergone seemed to be revolving around the matter of mating, thus he called her entire species, if there were more of her, natural born perverts.

Now Malik was able to understand women to a better degree than most could say, but he wasn't an expert on women, so it's a no-brainer when he ended up getting a kick to the ass that had the force of a speeding freight train and the impact energy of a couple tons of TNT that was strong enough to knock him out of his mindscape, on to his ass, into a week long unconsciousness, and back into Gabriel's mindscape where Dragira found him and proceeded to beat the crap out of him again. Gabriel just shook his head at his wielder and watched with a sense of both disappointment and mirth.

However, Yoruichi had grinned like a fox when she heard the news and proceeded to test out that theory, which led to her teaching Malik the art of maximizing the experience of their sex-life...for her, atleast.

So, back to the present, with all this knowledge in her head, Yoruichi knew she could expect another amazing experience. As she lowered herself til her lover's cock pressed against her pussy, Malik brought her face down to mesh with his at the lips, engaging in a tongue war as she slid him smoothly inside of her til he was sheathed as far as he could go, hitting her womb's entrance with still two inches sticking out. She let out a happy moan as his size, regardless of lubricant, stretched her inner-walls apart like the Red Sea, but followed it up with a whimper when she noticed she couldn't fit him all in.

'He's grown since our last time?! It's not fair!' she ranted in her head. It was a hard blow to her self-esteem and pride as Malik's lover. Sensing her distress, he gripped her buttocks and moved her in a circular motion, grinding the end of her cock against her cervix, the sensation enough to get her mind off of her small misery.

"I don't think any less of you, Yoruichi," he spoke the soothing words softly to her, keeping eye contact to get his message across. 'You're still perfect.'

Use to the brief pain followed by the flood of ecstasy this brought her, she began rocking her hips back and forth with his motions, twisting her waist to grind the dick inside her on all sides, causing her lover to moan into their kiss. She broke the kiss and place her hands on his pecs to steady herself as her movement picked up speed. She loved the sense of fulfillment whenever Malik was inside of her and knew this was only half of the feeling she wanted. Her body's aches flared up again though it was easily dismissable.

Malik's hands clenched tightly the muscle and skin of Yoruichi's hips, the syncing of his movements with her so they met each other with the clapping sound of their flesh signaled their experience with each other. They both moaned from their actions. Yoruichi bent down and licked him from his chest, up his neck, to his cheekbone, finishing it with another kiss. His fingers dug into her hips as he tried to unconsciously pressed her to him as hard as he could. The friction from his slick meat sliding in and out of her tight, warm and moist walls and bumping against her cervix sent a constant flourish of electrical signals throughout the body, resulting in them constantly making some sort of incoherent noises in place of words.

As the kept their movements rolling, Malik went to work on her soft and perky breasts that teased him, bouncing just a foot above his face from their bodies' gyrations. Cupping both of them in his hands, he gently squeezed them, causing Yoruichi's body to tense briefly, that tensing translating to her walls clamping down on his dick even harder. Seeing her encouraging look, he pushed her tits together and leaned up, capturing both of her nipples in his mouth. He began gently gnawing on the small buds that peaked her large mammary glands. This action along with their owner moving up and down on him caused them to stretch, which caused her to mewl like a cat while her fingers actually pierced his chest from clawing so hard.

He felt her walls tightened even more if it was possible. He'd learned after their very first training day several months ago that Yoruichi was a real powerhouse despite her preference on speed and stealth. The woman was inhumanly strong for her size. With blood dripping from them, her finger pulled out of the new wounds to wrap around his head, pressing her tighter to her heavenly bosom. He then commenced a special technique he'd developed for her since she loved the attention he brought to her chest.

It was a triple threat move that became Yoruichi's favorite on the first try. With her hard, protruding nipples in his mouth, he was nibbling on them between his sharp teeth, while simultaneously sucking on them with his lips and licking the nubs on the inside of his teeth with his tongue. Three actions in one that made her mewl and feisty like no tomorrow. As well in response was the sudden growing loss of feeling to his cock as she squeezed it.

Still cradling his head to her, she lovingly gazed down at him with glazed over eyes that shined like yellow gems, tongue hanging out and panting in heat. Oh, how she would have images of her tits actually rewarding him with all the suckling he's given them. Though she was incapable at the moment, the thought of her tits suddenly surprising Malik with warm milk shooting into his mouth was still an arousing picture. It was there she made a choice that she would never regret, but that's for another time.

Putting more power into her grinding, she started focusing more on being as close to him as possible and putting more power into her actions instead of speed, as well as supporting his upper-body enough so he could focus solely on his mouth's actions; let her handle the work down below. The new found strength she seemed to unleashed took Malik by surprise as he'd never felt Yoruichi act like this, as the strength in her movements made the friction between their conjoined bodies feel as electrifying as a raikaho spell.

Another ten minutes passed and they both felt their climaxes approaching. Normally, they'd have lasted longer but Yoruichi's actions had alot more enthusiasm than before. No, not enthusiasm, he felt. Her actions felt more needy, like her body was torturing her if she didn't make this the performance of a lifetime. He didn't know what caused this but he sure as hell wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Her vaginal walls soon clenched him and didn't let up, causing his balls to tense up as well. Her moans soon became panted screams and his hoarse growls.

"M-Malik-k-koi...I-I'm about-t to..c-c-cum!" she panted between her exhalations. He grunted growled against her tits that were smashed into his face, nipples still in his mouth as he continued his triple threat technique. Her lithe, powerful arms wrapped around his head like a pair of boa constrictors, not letting up, only tightening whenever he got whatever semblance of room..

"I-mphh..tmooo.." he muffled. The tight knot in Yoruichi's belly became unbearable, like something was about to snap. Her head leaned back, tongue hanging out so she would have as little obstruction to breathe as possible, she understood his mumbling, glad he didn't let up on his actions to answer her. His arms wrapped around her tight, defined waist, pressing her down on his erection. Even though the action served to cause his erection pain since there just wasn't enough space for it to fit, he ignored it in an effort to please his lover.

"Please..Malik...huff..huff..c-cum..huff..in me! huffhuff..fill me ..HUFF..I w-want..HUFF..HUFF..IIINNN MMEEEEEEEEE!" Her muscles tightened and that knot finally broke under the pressure. Her instincts told her to wrap her legs around his to hook them together, effectively pinning her to him as her orgasm tore through her body like a massive blade.

The action caused Malik's pressured cock to bend like a drawn bow as it pressed against her womb. The pressure became to much even for it and the swollen phallus quickly pushed through the cervix, something that shouldn't be possible unless some serious, unholy strength was added, thus burying the head into her womb, which caused a large amount of pain receptors to go numb from the overload of signals and her to give out a loud cry of pain.

Malik had felt incredible pain on his cock but he was too lost in his lust and passion so his instincts didn't allow him to stop. The urge to mate overpowered his sense of preservation, not unlike many animals he'd learned about in biology, like the deer of North America that would chase a doe for days, starving and/or exhausting itself to death just for the chance to find that one ovulating female and give her his seed.

However, when he felt the unexplained feeling of more room for it, no longer feeling his cock being bent uncomfortably, and the feeling of his love's orgasm coating his cock and being forced to squirt out between them, his instincts told him now was the time to strike. He obeyed and capitalized and began thrusting up into Yoruichi as frantically as possible, with all the sense of desperation as a drowning man. His movements replaced Yoruichi's sense of pain with that of pleasure for the most part, yet the only pain she felt was the physical abuse of her pelvis when the strength and speed of Malik's thrusts became more than her other nerves liked.

"GGGGRRAAHHHH!" he roared into Yoruichi's suffocating mounds as his rapid, bone-fracturing movements set them off-balance, causing her to fall on her back, now placing Malik a top, yet the movement slowed either down.

"AAAGGHHHHHH!" Yoruichi screamed as she was fucked through her orgasm straight into another one immediately afterwards, every area on her body rippling like disturbed water from the force of Malik's thrusts.

Malik felt his balls tightening like a cord being pulled from both ends before it snapped as well, actually causing pain but pain he easily ignored as his cock's head felt like it was ripping from the amount of sperm that exploded from it's hole.

"THAT'S IT! I WANT YO-...!" Yoruichi's declaration was cut off by her silent cry as she felt the cock inside her blast a semi-liquid substance into her womb with no resistance since the head was sitting right inside of it. She felt her womb fill up within seconds, as well as heat up as the semen shooting into her burned like hot water. Seconds passed by as her womb was filled til she felt some of it start dripping down her thigh.

'_**NNOOOO**_!' She heard some kind of voice scream, assuming it was her instincts or body, the latter moving on its own as her legs' muscles contorted and contracted, crushing Malik's crotch to hers with no space whatsoever, as well as damning any chance for the cum to escape her body. More seconds passed before she felt her abdomen swelling in pain as she could feel through her vaginal walls the muscles in the cock still twitching, letting her know he was still cumming.

After about fifteen seconds passed, a sudden pain shot through her stomach area. Looking around her and Malik's arms, she could just see the edges of her lower abdominals stretching as if she was going through a rapid pregnancy. More cum into her womb, another pain, and she saw herself swell even more. She couldn't quite believe it. Another pain and she could feel her belly now expanding against the body of the man in her embrace.

She slowly released her hold from around Malik's head, finding it odd that he wasn't responding much. She lifted his head with shaky arms and saw that he was softly breathing in unconsciousness. She found the look precious and kissed him fiercely on the lips before releasing him. She looked at her lower regions again to see that she had finally stopped aching, Malik having expended all of his load.

She decided that she approved of the look and feel of her womb being so swollen. She had just enough energy for a few more things to do. Turning themselves over, she laid the sleeping man onto his back. Slowly, she started pulling herself off of him, casting a quick, low-powered kido spell to close off the entrance of her pussy, or in her case, exit for all the sperm now trapped inside her. Her body ached at its movement as she heard/felt the swishing of the hot cum moving about inside her. With the first three goals accomplished, she brought her face to Malik's slowly shrinking dick, sticking the semi-erected appendage in her mouth and massaging it with her skilled tongue.

Her purpose was to clean his man up, sucking out any cum that didn't make it into her body while licking off any remnants of both of their love juices from in and on his cock. She saw his body unconsciously shudder as she finished her cleaning by scraping her teeth against the underside of his length as she pulled it out of her mouth. With her job done, she made herself comfortable on top of him before blacking out herself as her hot body began to rapidly cool down from the event.

The sound of her purring contently and him breathing peacefully was the only noise around them, save for the rhythmic pattern of waves crashing not ten meters away.

* * *

><p>Unknowingly, the two's actions caused their reiatsu to pulse outwards from the orgasms. The two waves of energy were strong at first, however, the further they spread out like that of a ripple in the water, the weaker it got. Many miles away, it came into contact with a strange, black rod on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. This rod is one in a group of thousands that act as a sort of ground buoys. Their purpose is to detect traces of specific spiritual energy unique to whatever sample it is tuned to. It was a design of Urahara's hundreds of years ago to help track certain problematic individuals, whether they be soul reapers, ryoka, or hollows.<p>

When the faint traces of Malik's energy hit it, it began vibrating, becoming a beacon.

Soul Society finally had a trace on Malik.

In just one day, Aizen will be much closer to knowing his position as well.

Confrontation was looking very likely pretty soon, each faction with their own reasons.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That's it for this chapter. If you don't know Rule #82, just look on my profile. Yeah, I know, it's been over a year since I put up a real update. I'm sorry for getting distracted with two other stories. Please don't bite my head off. Hell, I still haven't even made the necessary changes to some of the chapters to make them better. By now, I'm sure many of you forgot what the heck this story is even about.**

**I can't promise when the next chapter will be, as I'm still trying to update a chapter for two other stories, but now that I've gotten this one off, hopefully I won't have another writer's block. Plus, boot camp took up like two months, and you tend to have to leave all connections with your past life behind on the back burner for those of you who are/were in the service of your respective military branch. You have to learn to abandon any feelings and attachments to your hobbies and such while you're there or else you'd go crazy, like a withdrawal or something. I know..trust me.**

**Now, Malik is nearly completed with his and Dragira's merger and he's becoming alot more similar to her in physiology. I know the changes I made to him, namely his penis, made sound weird, but I tried to make it as unhuman as necessary, which isn't much, cuz he's not just human anymore. Things about him are not going to be human, like his eyes, his teeth, his skin, his skeletal structure, and apparently his reproductive organs. I got the idea of the drastically unbalanced female/male ratio for the dragons from the movie 'Reign of Fire' where the reason the dragons had multiplied from a dozen to millions so quickly was because there was one bull that went around fertilizing all the female dragon's eggs. Now, I'm not saying Malik is going go around knocking up every ovulating female, but it's basically the same biological...evolution, guess the word would be. Anybody have a better word to describe what I'm talking about, feel free to put it in a message or review.**

**Anyway, please review and tell me your thoughts and wishes. Even though this was only the second lemon, this will be the last in this story since this is focusing on more than just sex for some of you who will probably complain about the lack of it. This being said, I had to make this one pretty special, hence I didn't focus too much on foreplay, save for the boobies. But it's Yoruichi...we love her boobies. XD (That's suppose to be a grin and a nosebleed.)**

**However, the pairings/lemons are set for the next story as I plan on making a sequel, probably making this a trilogy. This story has about 5-6 more chapters where the plot will kinda explode with all sorts of action, angst, and the setting up of several conspiracies. I can guarantee that the things that will happen by the end of this story will piss alot off but in a good way, like how the ending of Avatar the Movie did, or the ending of Halo 3 or 4, where you know this isn't the end but you have to wait for a bit.**

**Aren't I a bitch? **

**In the negative way, not the literal translated definition way...**

**Okay, see you next time. If you want, check out some of my other stories, though I recommend my HSDxD/FFVII one. I also have several challenges on my profile that can be edited if you feel it necessary, as well as two stories that are really just published challenges.**

**Lucas Bane, aka Lu Bane, aka 'Adm. ThunderCock', aka 'Vanilla Hammer,' aka Captain SweetPants', aka I will just shut up now, signing off.**


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